Reign of the New Protogenoi
by JBubu
Summary: He's been through hell ... literally. He saw things that shouldn't be known but the truth had to come out. His trust broken, his world suddenly a lie and one betrayal after another. He was the greatest hero but now, Olympus has lost him and with that, they set up their own end. A reckoning is coming and lines will have to be drawn. A new King will come and with him, a new era...
1. A Hero Falls

**Author's Note: Hi everyone, welcome to my latest story. Absolutely love the series and all, practically perfect. But, I'm hungering for something a little different so here's my shot at a story that is hopefully original for all of you. Won't say the pairings any time soon but I'll leave all to guessing for now. Hope you like the little bit here and let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

* * *

 **: /jbubu**

* * *

A figure slowly walks across a desolate and cold ground, the tormented screams of the damned echoing over the hills. The atmosphere is dark as shadows seem to crawl and hug him, caressing him as he nears his destination … and a destiny greater than any could have known. His posture is tall and proud even as his heart beats a sand song, his features hidden under a thick cloak. Betrayal … one of the worst feelings any could experience.

He'd sacrificed so much for them all … to end with nothing. His life had been ripped apart at the tender age of 12. Every year had been one hell-ride after another, each time his sanity and hope coming dangerously close to a cracking point. He'd faced the worst of monsters, bared the curses of his enemies and allies alike, and still carried on … but no longer … not for them.

He gave a tired sigh as he looked at the rocky ceiling over him, wondering what they were doing now. Had they realized he was gone? Would they look for him in worry? He snorted at the thought, knowing exactly what would happen. ' _They'll definitely search for me, sure. After all, can't have their greatest weapon suddenly pulling a Houdini on them … but they'll be too late.'_ He almost smiled at the thought but in the end his lips remained a flat line.

He should have felt crushed. His fatal flaw should have rendered him immobile and tearing his mind apart … and yet none happened. In the end there was just a sad acceptance. As if he'd always known that this betrayal would come and now, rather than kneel over and wait for death … he pushed forward. He knew it would be difficult but he needed to do this. So he continued on, his destination already in sight but as he walked, he couldn't help but think back to just yesterday … and the goodbyes.

No. Not goodbyes but … see you later …

* * *

 **24 Hours Prior**

He looked around his cabin for the last time. His bed off to the side, the sheets in neat condition, and most of his pictures left on the wall right above his bed. The spring his father left him as a gift trickled almost sadly, as if knowing that the sole occupant of this cabin was leaving for good. He sighed sadly as he shouldered his pack and walked outside, the night sky and moon greeting him. He glanced up at the satellite and couldn't keep the grimace from appearing on his face.

This only made him sadder. He was loved to gaze up at the moon, especially while walking along the beach. The cool breeze of the sea would calm him as the gentle glow of the moon would cast a gentle light … but not anymore. The sea was now an unwelcomed abode, hiding lies and deceit like the very king that ruled it. The moon's light was now cold and scathing, as proud and unforgiving as the girl who hunted under that very light.

"Why did it have to be this way?" he asked himself sadly as he walked to the amphitheater, knowing that one he couldn't leave without telling was there.

It didn't take him long to spot her, tending her flame as she slouched over, the fire burning low and almost blue to reflect her mood. Seeing her looking so down brought something more to him than sadness. It was rage. He wanted to skin alive anyone who would dare to so much as harm a hair on her head … and who knows, maybe he'll get that particular pleasure later on. Still, for now he approached her, letting his footfalls alert her to his presence but she didn't really turn to look at him.

He knew why. She was probably buried in guilt and sadness but he wouldn't let her keep that burden. He sat beside her, their shoulders brushing against each other since she was in a 16 year old form. Her light brown dress snuggly displayed her figure yet kept her modest, her hair falling loosely over one shoulder. He waited for her to look at him but she remained adamant on not looking. He sighed as he slowly reached over and cupped her chin before gently tilting her face towards him.

If anyone had seen him they would have thought that he was suicidal. Who in their right mind would dare lay their hands on a goddess … an _Olympian_ goddess at that, without their spoken consent? Maybe he was a little crazy but then again, it was that crazy that saved his bacon half the time in war. So, he didn't hesitate to make her look at him … and what he saw made him sadder if possible.

Her normally glowing, orange eyes were dim and red rimmed them, letting him know that she had been crying. Even now a tear or two fell down her smooth cheeks. He sighed as he used his free hand to wipe away the tears before focusing on her eyes … after subtly checking one of her cheeks and looking for any purple marks. ' _Good … it healed already or wasn't that bad,'_ he thought in relief before speaking, knowing that this news would devastate her but it needed to be done.

"I'm leaving."

She opened her mouth to speak, alarm and concern filling her eyes but he placed a finger over her lips to stop her.

"… I know … all of it …"

Her eyes widened at his words but he continued.

"… I know what's going to happen and I need to leave now … but that doesn't mean I'll be gone forever," he said softly.

"But …" she started as she searched his eyes for something, "… They'll … k-kill you … if you try to run …"

"If they can catch me," he replied with a familiar smirk on his face. "But they don't know where I'm going … and wouldn't dare to follow if they did."

"Where are you …"

"I can't tell you Tia," he interrupted, using the pet name that only he knew and no one else would dare use.

He saw the hurt in her eyes but continued on.

"I know you wouldn't betray be like _them_ ," he spat out the last word as if it was sour, "… But you not knowing will keep you out of harm's way … but believe me … I will come back … someday."

He stood up as he finished, knowing that if anyone could convince him to stay, it would be her. However, as he turned and prepared to walk away, her felt a warm pair of arms wrap around him in a gentle hug from behind … before an orange glow covered his body. His eyes widened as he immediately knew what she did.

"Why?" he asked in a near whisper, not expecting this action in the slightest.

"Because …" she whispered back, her voice slightly muffled from his shirt, "… You've done so much for me, how could I not do this for you?"

He chuckled slightly at her reasoning, though a little thought at the back of his mind said there was more than wishing him simple protection or paying a favor. He didn't probe further though and turned in her arms to hug her back firmly, taking in the scent of a warm campfire and something that could only be described as home. He relished in it but knew that he needed to get going soon so he begrudgingly released the hug. He almost laughed at the pout the goddess sent his way … but nearly had a heart attack with what she did next.

She leaned closer and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, making his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. His thoughts stopped as he just stared at her, finder her sudden blush adorable. Then, with one last smile she left in a burst of flames. He couldn't really move for a good five minutes but when he did, he sighed as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. ' _Goddesses … I will never figure them out,'_ he thought as he turned and walk through the silent camp.

He glanced at some of the cabins but didn't really feel any attachment to them … not anymore. He didn't give any second glances as he arrived at the hill, Thalia's pine standing tall with Peleus wrapped comfortably around the trunk. He smiled at the sight before he glanced at the shadows near him. He watched as the shadows condensed until it formed an enormous body of packed muscle, black fur, and glowing red eyes. Mrs. O'leary, his hellhound. He smiled fondly at her before he climbed onto her back and pointed her back at the shadows. The massive dog understood easily as she bounded at the shadows before jumping in as she dissolved along with her passenger.

And as they left, he didn't so much as glance back at the place he once called home …

* * *

 **Back to Present**

He sighed again as he left those memories. It wasn't time to dwell on them. He already missed many of them though … the ones that did him no wrong. His cousins, Tia, his mother, and a spare few others … but he would see them again, in time.

With that thought he stopped as he arrived to his destination. Before him lay a pit that dropped into the worst abyss. A place of horror and madness that even the gods fear … but there wasn't a trace of it in his glowing green eyes with what looked like glowing flames dancing around them.

"I guess this is it," he mused as he inspected his own hand for a moment before speaking in a strong and clear voice. "I, Perseus Theseus Jackson, hereby revoke all ties to Poseidon, God of the Seas."

Thunder crackled even though they were underground. He felt his body slump for a moment as a decent amount of strength left him … but his resolve remained strong. His once sea green eyes seemed to dull for a moment before they took on an almost hazel, earthly shade with the flames growing stronger within them. His pitch black hair turned to a deep brown as his frame glowed in a mix of earthen green and fiery orange before fading.

"Huh … looks like they mix well," he muttered before looking at the pit. "I really am out of my mind …"

With that cheerful thought he jumped … and plummeted to the darkness awaiting him …

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 **Author's Rant: Now then, just a bit of info for the teasing of it. It will be a multi pairing though i don't know how large. There will be things that can come off as character bashing so you've been warned. With that I leave you to your devices.**

 **Review!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	2. The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note: And the next chapter! Wanted to be quick with this one since the first chapter was so short. Don't get used to day to day updates though. I'll try to get once a week but you never know. Anyways, just so everyone knows, this is AU with some details so don't be to confused with some characters or events that are described.**

 **Without further wait, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything of uncle Rick's.**

* * *

As he plummeted through the darkness his thoughts were eerily calm. His face was rather blank, without a trace of fear even though he knew the horrors that awaited him … but he was ready. Until then, he was mostly bored while waiting to arrive. ' _Was the fall this long last time?'_ he wondered before he thought back to why he had made this decision. ' _Oh yeah … it all started with her …'_

* * *

 **Tartarus, Before the House of Hades**

Fear. That was all he could feel as he blindly walked forward. His girlfriend's limp body slung over his shoulders as he heard the distant screaming of monsters looking for blood. He couldn't stop, regardless of how much his muscles screamed in protest. He could feel every injury he'd obtained in this damned place suddenly burning altogether, as if trying to weigh him down so he could be caught. But he trudged on, knowing that if he stopped, he'd be forever kept in the House of Night. However, his train of thought was stopped when a shockingly soft voice spoke.

"Perseus … wait."

It wasn't the request that made him stop as if frozen. It was the sheer surprise of the voice he recognized yet didn't at the same time. It was Nyx, the primordial goddess of night, and she was speaking to him as if she stood just a bit to his side. ' _How in!? But I thought she was caught with all her kids going berserk throwing around darkness!'_ his thoughts screamed as dread built up within him. He knew there was no way he could escape now. She could kill him and Annabeth with a flick of her wrist and there was nothing he could do to trick her again. So, he waited, a part of him hoping that death would be quick, but that wasn't what happened.

"Perseus … I need you to open your eyes and look at me."

' _What!?'_ he nearly shouted as he turned to face the voice, still keeping his eyes firmly shut.

"I can't … I'll be driven insane if I look at anything in your home," he said evenly, not wanting to possibly anger the goddess any more than he probably already had.

"Not right now," she replied calmly, "I've hidden the horrors but there are things I need to show you."

"How do I know you aren't tricking me?" he asked, unable to keep a bit of bite out of tone.

He heard her sigh before she spoke again, "I, Nyx, Primordial of Night, hereby swear on the Styx and my own immortality to tell you the truth from here onwards and allow safe passage out of my home."

With her words thunder struck but Percy could tell that this oath was beyond anything he'd heard before. Down to his bones he could tell it was absolutely binding. With her oath complete, he found himself hesitantly opening his eyes to look at her, and the sight made him gasp.

Before she had stood before him and Annabeth as a monstrous construct of darkness, shadows churning around her as her form towered over them, easily bigger than any of the Giants. Now though, standing before him was probably one of, if not the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Pale, flawless skin, lusciously raven hair cascading to her hips, hourglass figure dressed in an elegant black dress that screamed sensuality yet didn't come off as slutty whatsoever. And her eyes. Like two pools of darkness, drawing in the light with glowing white pupils looking straight at him.

He had to catch his breath as she gave him a faint smile. A warm and kind smile that could compare with the likes of Hestia but her eyes seemed to hold a sadness in them as she looked at him. He wondered why she looked so sad but then felt a weight leaving his shoulders. He looked in alarm as Annabeth floated in what looked like a pool of darkness, suspended above him.

"Don't worry," she said before he could even shout, "That is just to make sure she doesn't wake up while we talk."

He calmed down at her words, knowing she could only be honest with him. He looked to her and nodded, waiting to hear her out. She smiled faintly in appreciation before she began, her soft voice soothing him like the cool embrace of a gently night after a long day.

"First of all Perseus, I need you to understand something. We primordial gods live by a very different set of rules than other divine beings like Titans, Giants, and Gods. For one, the Fates cannot control us since we are too powerful."

"What!?" he asked in shock but she merely nodded.

"Yes. Only a primordial of fate can but … Anake isn't with us anymore," Nyx said sadly. "However, that isn't the main reason I stopped you for. The reason I am here now is to show you something … and give you a choice."

"What are you showing me?" he asked suspiciously as his eyes narrowed. Gods don't just come out of the blue to fill someone in on things without some kind of favor … and a favor to a primordial is a biggie.

"The original text of the ancient laws," she replied seriously, her eyes boring into his.

"Why?" he asked, his guard still up.

"Because … the Olympians have gone too far for too long and the madness of my sister and her children is only making things worse," Nyx answered. "The world is spiraling out of control and one day there will be a war to end all wars if someone doesn't stop it … and there is only one way to do it," she trailed off with a whisper.

"How?" he asked nervously.

She didn't answer but instead waved her hand, and from right beside her an ancient stone tablet appeared written in a language Percy couldn't even begin to comprehend. Yet he looked on down until the last law came to his focus and somehow, without being able to read it, he understood what it meant. It was as if something so old it lay forgotten by all except the most ancient beings … and now he knew it.

"W-what … is that?" he asked, his mouth suddenly too dry.

"That, Perseus … is the Law of Succession," Nyx answered gravely as she looked at him. "And it is something Gaea purposely hid and none of her children or descendants know … save for you."

"Why show me it?" he asked as he felt as if the sky was on his shoulders again.

"Because … I wish for you to be the first to use this law," Nyx answered, before her gaze softened, "And I believe you are the most worthy to do it. I know you won't abuse this power and … you've almost conquered your fatal flaw."

"Conquered?" Percy scoffed, looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. "I still fight for Olympus even though I know half the time they just toss me in and wait around before delivering the final blow after I put in all the work. I turned down immortality and the easy out just for love. And that same love which I so happened to learn recently, cheated on me while I was missing! And yet, I'm still dragging her ass with me through this hellhole rather than abandoning her!" he screamed in rage as pent up emotions finally burst out after weeks of inner turmoil.

"You already knew?" Nyx asked in surprise as she glanced at the suspended spawn of Athena, "Then why do this all for her? Why even allow yourself to fall into Tartarus?"

Percy sighed as he shook his head. "I don't know … I guess … I was hoping that she'd come clean after all this. That maybe it could be salvaged and the wars would end … I just want some peace." By now some tears were slowly trailing down his cheeks but to his surprise, a petite hand gently wiped them away.

He looked up in surprise to see Nyx with the same sad eyes, her voice almost trembling as she spoke, "And this is why I know you are worthy. Even after knowing that they're using you, even after your love broke your heart and continues to hide it, you haven't abandoned them … but at the same time you are growing past it. I can see it. Your loyalty has been tempered for years now through hardship and betrayals. You don't give it easily anymore and with moving past petty thoughts of revenge or breaking down, you continue on. Keep that loyalty … but know when to give it to those that deserve it."

Nyx then stepped back as she looked at him sternly. "Go on now. You have doors to release and a renegade primordial to defeat … and now you know how to do it."

Percy nodded as he wiped the last of his tears before he looked at the floating girl beside him.

"I'll keep her like that until you get to the doors. Don't worry, once you get them free I'll teleport her to your side and she'll think she helped you along the way," Nyx said with a tiny smirk on her face.

"Thank you," he replied as he started to move past her, his gaze set on the doorway at the end of the dark passage.

"Oh and Percy," Nyx called after him, making him pause as he glanced back to meet her mesmerizing eyes, "Think about what really keeps you fighting. Who and what truly holds your loyalty that makes it all worth it … and should anything happen, keep your emotions in check. Do not let them control you as they do since it won't help anyone. And lastly, should you make the choice … you know where to find me."

With that she was suddenly gone along with Annabeth in a flash of shadows, leaving him alone to complete his journey. So he turned and started to walk away, ready to face the hordes of monsters that no doubt waited for him … until he suddenly stopped.

"Wait … did she call me Percy?"

* * *

His eyes snapped open as he durst out of memory lane, instead gaze focused on the nearing light at the end of the pit. ' _Here it comes,'_ he thought as he passed through the opening to see the massive expanse of Tartarus bellow him. It was just like he remembered. Burnt grounds that looked like it was littered with glass. Poisonous atmosphere that started to irritate his lungs and more screams of pain and terror than the Fields of Punishment could ever cause. ' _Lovely,'_ he thought as he glanced straight below him and wondered how was it he was going to land exactly.

' _I wonder it this will work,'_ he mused as the ground rapidly approached him. He focused for a moment before he shot his right hand forward, a green glow around it along with a familiar tug along his gut. After a few seconds the ground below him burst up into a tall spire with a gravelly slide to one side. He smirked as he landed along the smoothed side and slide the whole way to the floor. Once he landed he brushed off some dirt before looking around.

"Now which way was it?" he muttered before noticing that the shadows seemed darker in a certain direction. He smiled at the trail as he started to walk, keeping his senses sharp in case any monster decided that they wanted a piece of him.

As he walked it seemed memory lane wanted to talk to him again, his thoughts falling back to that battle … the battle where things truly changed …

* * *

Sweat and blood matted his hair. His lungs burned and his arms ached … but he kept attacking. Riptide sang through the wind as it sliced through rock debris on its way to his intended target, Gaea. The battle had been furious up till this point. One moment they were fighting in Athens, wearing down the Giants until the Olympians finally arrived to fight … more like stroke their own egos with how 'hopeless the demigods would have been without them'. Hell, he pretty much saved Artemis from being turned into a shish-kabob and all he gets for his troubles is a glare and 'don't touch me _boy_ '.

Well damn for being polite in the middle of a fucking battle and offering her a hand to get up after he dealt the finishing blow on Gration. Whatever, that set the tempo and soon all of the Giants were down again but then, and only after _their_ part was up, did the Olympians tell them how their home was under attack with monsters and Gaea at the head. Only then to get smacked by Zeus back home. He remembered Leo's call over the winds just before it happened.

'Clench up for the mother of all bitch slaps!'

He would have laughed his ass of if they hadn't been in a life and death race against time. That only lead to the Argo II unceremoniously falling apart on landing and tossing them all out into the thick of it. Thank Nyx they managed to organize and were starting to push the monsters back but that lead to where he was now. Fighting alone against mother earth while his friends tried to push through a sea of monsters. He wasn't daunted though. No, in fact he almost felt elated. This would be his chance to take Gaea down for good. No reforming, no siring of new threats, no more insanity from her.

He focused on Gaea's smiling form, her literal whirlwind of dirt and rock surrounding her as a shield. He kept swinging, sometimes managing to nick her from time to time but the earth always managed to heal her … just like when he fought his half-brother in the labyrinth. He glanced around himself and noted that they were actually close to the beach as he steadily retreated while feigning to being overwhelmed. ' _That's right, come to me,'_ he thought.

He dodged a spear of earth, getting narrowly grazed along the hip making him grimace but he kept his focus on Gaea. She smirked at the sight of his blood, licking her lips as if already tasting victory. He growled at her arrogance as he redoubled his hacking and slashing as he took another step back.

"Giving up demigod?" asked Gaea with glee as she eagerly followed him while waving her arm and sending another barrage of dirt at him.

He rolled to the side to avoid it but couldn't get out of way when a pillar of stone suddenly shot up and nailed him in the chest. He sailed back a decent distance, his entire chest screaming in pain as he bit his lip to suppress a scream. ' _Definitely a few broken ribs … or all of them,'_ he thought as he forced one eye open to look at Gaea as she looked down at him with a grin.

"You're finished demigod, I've won," she said in her gravelly voice as her green eyes glowed ominously.

"And why is that?" he asked back as he kept panting.

"Don't you see?" she asked while opening her arms in a grand gesture to the skies around them, "Your precious Olympians abandoned you in fear of me. Your forces are divided and dwindling, and you're on your last legs. Face it … I win."

"Yeah … one problem," he replied while forcing himself up to one knee while gingerly touching his chest.

"And what would that be?" Gaea asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm on home turf," he replied as he glanced at the water lapping at his feet.

Gaea followed his gaze before her eyes widened in realization but before she could travel back and away from the water Percy attacked. With a wave of his hands a torrent of water obeyed his will and grabbed Gaea before dragging her into the surf and he chased after her. He soon spotted her thrashing as hard as she could but the water was unforgiving as it battered her. In that confusion he attacked, Riptide slicing through the tide before digging into her shoulder as she tried to scream in pain but the water kept her silent. Ichor started to stain the seas but Percy didn't care as he willed an air bubble to form around them.

Then, on a sheer instinct that he couldn't even recall having, her exhaled as the water at his feet froze. Soon the ice spread until they were surrounded in a dome of it, cutting them off from the outside. As Gaea laid panting on one end, Percy glanced around in wonder before he noticed that there seemed to be tendrils of darkness within the ice.

' _I've blocked their sight, Fates and Gods alike. Hurry!'_ he heard Nyx's voice in his head.

He couldn't help but smirk as he nodded before turning an icy glare onto the goddess regaining her footing. Their eyes locked and for the first time Percy could see genuine fear in her eyes, both knowing that neither would get out until one was dead … and Percy was the one with the sword.

"How?" she asked in a shaky tone as she glanced at the ice, her breath becoming visible in the cold. "I've never heard of Poseidon controlling ice."

"I tend to mix things up," he replied before his eyes narrowed as he approached her. "Gaea …"

She looked at him uneasily as he stalked forward like a wolf that just caught its prey and was moving in the for the kill.

"By the ancient laws set by Chaos, I, Perseus Theseus Jackson, hereby challenge you to a duel for right of Protogenoi status and all domains held in your title."

A thunder strike signaled the pact. The death match was on … or more like one sided massacre. Gaea's eyes widened in horror as she paled, her entire frame shaking as she took a step back.

"H-how?" she asked in a whisper. "I … I hid those texts … the only way any could have known … no … someone betrayed me!" she screamed in a rage.

"She was never on your side," Percy murmured darkly before he raised Riptide, "Now say goodbye."

He didn't give her a chance to answer as he surged forward. She backpedaled in alarm but wasn't quick enough to dodge as he stabbed her straight through the gut. She screamed as ichor poured out of the wound but Percy wasn't anywhere near done … not by a long shot. He pulled out Riptide before smashing the flat of the blade against the side of her head, making her fall back with a pained whimper. He looked down at her without a shred of sympathy before raising Riptide. He swung down as Gaea feebly tried to guard but all that did was allow for Riptide to cleave through her arm, severing it as she screamed even louder than before.

She was crying by this point and yet Percy could only look on with a cold glint in his eyes. He reached down before tugging her head up by her hair to make her look at him as he pressed the tip of Riptide against her left breast, right over her heart.

"This is for every life that you've ruined," Percy practically growled as he glared at her. "I should make you suffer for centuries to even make up for a fraction of what you've done … but it looks like you got a little lucky in the end."

Gaea looked at him with almost blank eyes, a sign of her resignation. She knew in a straight up fight she wasn't any better than an average demigod … after all … no one had ever had enough power to force her to fight directly and her siblings were beyond her courage to challenge. Now she was fully isolated and about to die.

"They'll betray you … in the end," she coughed out with a mix of ichor.

Percy gave her a pained smile. One devoid of any joy or warmth.

"I know," he whispered as he drove Riptide through her heart, ending her miserable existence.

She coughed once before sighing as her body went limp, eyes going dull just before she started to turn to dust. But this wasn't any regular gold dust. It was an ashen white, like the pale remains of a once great fire. As the dust blew away in an apparently imaginary wind a green glow encompassed Percy along with a surge of power unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

He could suddenly feel the shift of the earth, the tremble of the land as creatures and machines of all types traveled the surface. For a moment he was the earth and almost felt like he could do anything. He could level all civilization with a thought, raise mountains with a flick of the wrist, and cause earthquakes the likes of which no beings alive could comprehend. Then, it all vanished … but not completely. He could still feel the earth near him and the hum of vibrations. He also felt stronger than he had before the fight even while exhausted.

' _So this is the power of a primordial,'_ he thought before another mind invaded his.

' _Not yet. You're still mortal or more like a demi-primordial for now. If you want full access to it you need to complete the Law of Succession … but you haven't made that choice yet,"_ came Nyx's voice.

' _There's still too much to think about for now,_ ' he replied while shaking his head.

The power felt great but still, if he could take the chance for a life of peace, then so be it. Nyx had given him a tool for power … but he'd never been one for it anyways. If he had to make a choice, then now wasn't the time to do it. So, with a sigh, he willed the ice to release him. In a few moment he was back in the water and propelled himself to shore.

As he walked on the beach he could see remains of the monster army routing with demigods on their tails.

"Just a little more and we're home free," he whispered as he readied his sword and charged, for now forgetting about the primordial he just made fade.

* * *

He was shaken out of his memories as he stumbled on a small rock outcropping. Catching himself he glanced around only to notice he was at a familiar cliff overlooking an endless expanse of darkness. ' _Ok, that was a lot quicker than I thought it would be,'_ he mused as he looked around. There were no other monsters or darkness gods this time. Just him standing at a gloomy cliff. He was about to call out but stopped with a musical giggle of sorts reached his ears.

In front of him, suspended right over the chasm of darkness, was Nyx. She had a hand over her mouth as she tried and failed to suppress. He gave her an annoyed look which seemed to make her laugh more but she soon got it under control.

"Having a good time?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Sorry, it's just that your face was funny when you almost fell," she replied with a renewed giggle.

"Glad to see I'm so entertaining," he muttered before he fixed her with a serious look.

She caught onto it and straightened her features as she looked at him.

"Have you made a decision," she asked in a calm voice that vibrated with power as her dark eyes fixed him to the spot.

"I have …" he replied as his fists clenched. "… They're monsters … and someone needs to put a stop to them."

"And are you sure you can do it?" she asked as she walked on thin air towards him. "You'll have to fight and possibly kill those you once called ally. The old bonds you once cherished will have to be severed."

"They've already severed them," he answered as his eyes glowed, the irises literally burning in mixes of orange and hazel. "And those that are still precious to me … I'll save them. They deserve better and I will do anything for them."

Nyx looked at him silently for some time, as if peering into his soul to search for any doubts or hesitation. Finding none, she nodded before speaking again.

"Very well Perseus … but to do that then you must do something for me."

"What would you have me do, milady?" he asked, noting how she almost smiled at his word choice.

"I want you … to become _our_ successor …"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Hope everyone enjoyed that! Slowly revealing what went down after the war. I take and guesses or predictions eagerly in reviews or PM's. Thanks and see everyone next time!**

 **Jbubu**


	3. Et tu?

**Author's Note: Wow! You guys just blew up my inbox. Keep it up, I love hearing your thoughts even if its just a few words! Glad everyone has such high hopes for this story and I will strive to achieve it.**

 **BTW: To make sure it is clear, the story is AU so there might be some changed details about what happened in the two wars. I'll explain it through exposition if there was so no one gets confused. Just two details that are changed so far:**

 **1) Tartarus didn't manifest and face Percy when he escaped. Percy did meet Danmeson (I can't remember how to spell his name, Ares' Bane) but he didn't come to Percy's rescue. Bob did come down but had to leave Percy and Annabeth alone before the House of Night.**

 **2) Rather than a month or so, the time between the second Titan war and Percy's abduction was nearly 1 year so all characters are older (won't matter much since they'll get older with time skips anyways).**

 **That's all I can think of that's relevant for now. Now, onward to the story!**

 **Note: This is a slightly revised version. The events didn't change, I just made them flow a little better and tried to portray some character better.**

 **Disclaimer: Everything belongs to uncle Rick.**

* * *

They stood before the council, haggard and sore. The great seven looked on towards the gods surrounding them, each preening with pride and overflowing ego. Percy listened on as Zeus continued on his long speech about 'their' great victory in this war and how it would be remembered for ages. Percy wanted to scoff at his uncle and walk out of there but he kept a blank façade for now. Soon Zeus finally finished and got on to the big rewards.

"… and so, the council has decided to gift each of you with immortality and possibly … Godhood," Zeus said, the last words looking rather difficult for him since it meant more than just his son would get the honor. "… Do you accept?" he asked in a booming voice.

"Yes!" came one immediate reply, making several heads turn in surprise to look at the speaker.

Annabeth looked ready to pop with excitement, completely ignoring her battered leg as she grinned with her reply. The sight made what little affection remaining for her crumble, his eyes dulling as he mentally shook his head. ' _It looks like even after everything I do … I still wasn't good enough,'_ he thought dejectedly as some of his friends gave him nervous glances. He returned a small smile to ease them on it but inside the world was going cold as one of his last reasons to fight for happiness left him without a second thought.

Strike One.

He even glanced around the throne room and noted that Athena looked pleased with her daughter's choice along with Apollo surprisingly. That made Percy frown as he wondered why was that but he tucked it away for now.

"Well?" Zeus questioned with his famous impatience, looking at the rest of the heroes. Jason cleared his throat in response before stepping forward, but not without taking Piper's hand in his own.

"Father … though I would be honored to accept godhood … I must decline in favor of a change to my reward," he said, earning shocked looks from most of the Olympians aside from Aphrodite as she looked on with approval.

"And what would that be, my son?" asked Zeus in a stern though not hostile tone.

"Well …" Jason started as he glanced at Piper who nodded back while giving his hand a squeeze. "… rather than full immortality, I wish for Piper and I to gain partial immortality and be placed as guardians of New Rome."

Zeus seemed to mull it over for a minute, occasionally glancing at other council members, before he nodded as swiped his hand at the pair of demigods. They both glowed their respective color matching their parents before it faded and the pair stepped back with a slight bow, warm smiles on their faces.

"And the rest?" Hera asked since Zeus seemed to be buried in his thoughts at the moment while eyeing his son.

Frank and Hazel followed suite, their requests being similar but with the addition of having their curses removed, allowing both to control their lives which would hopefully be happy from now on. Next came Leo and he accepted becoming a god to work with his father, though Percy felt there was another purpose to his decision but he could ask later. And lastly they all looked to Percy as he stepped forward, noting how his father looked at him with pride. It made him smile but he knew that smile wouldn't last once his request was finished.

"Perseus Jackson," Zeus boomed as thunder crackled above making every god roll their eyes. "The council has seen fit to not only offer you Godhood but to make you the 13th Olympian. Do you accept?"

The councilors leaned forward in anticipation, his friends looking on in awe and Percy even noted the calculating gleam in Annabeth's eyes but he sighed as he shook his head.

"With all due respect Lord Zeus … I must decline," he answered much to the gasps of those in attendance. "Instead I would rather exchange my gift for a few requests."

At his words he could see the anger flash in several sets of eyes, namely Zeus, Hera, Posiedon, and Athena which made him curious as to why? Shouldn't she be happy since it would mean it would be impossible for Percy and Annabeth to maintain their farce of a relationship?

"Are you saying that you refuse such a _generous_ offer? That being an Olympian isn't good enough?" Athena practically hissed.

' _Now I see why her flaw is pride,'_ he thought even as he didn't back down from any of the looks. Seeing as no one else was going to speak he continued on with his request.

"My requests are simple and well within your power," he said evenly as he looked straight at Zeus.

"And what would they be?" Zeus asked with barely restrained anger in his eyes.

"One is that Hestia and Hades are reinstated as Olympians. They are the two eldest and deserve to be on the council," he replied.

Zeus reddened a little before he nodded curtly and snapped his fingers. Two thrones immediately shot up out of the marble floors, one at each end of the male and female side. One seemed to be made of living flames with the design of a hearth at the back rest. The second was made of a dark obsidian with carved skulls and faint wails of agony drifting along the surface. Before Percy could continue on with his second request he was suddenly tackled into a hug by an eight year old goddess who was continually thanking him.

He chuckled as he returned a brief hug before they separated. Just seeing Hestia's glowing smile made him feel as if all was right with the world, her flaming eyes dancing with joy. She then walked to her new throne, ascending to full godly height before sitting comfortably. Percy glanced at Hades' throne to see him materialize in it out of shadows. He gave Percy one firm nod with a faint smile, a miracle in the case of Hades, before Percy turned to address Zeus again.

"For my second and final request, I ask that all peaceful Titans such as Leto and Calypso be set free," he asked.

Silence reigned for a time as some of the Olympians looked at each other before Zeus looked at him and nodded. With that, the meeting finished and the heroes were dismissed but informed of the party that would commence in a few short hours to celebrate them … but Percy didn't really feel like celebrating.

* * *

Percy walked along the roads of Olympus, not really heading anywhere in particular. It had been a week since the battle and strangely, his father had requested him to remain in the immortal city for the week to discuss some things with him. He wasn't sure what it was about but he couldn't shake a slowly growing feeling of dread building in his gut.

Throughout the week Hestia had kept him company, helping him finally deal with the emotions left after what Annabeth did and how he found out. He's walked in on a private conversation between Piper and Jason while they were waiting for Annabeth to find the Mark of Athena. He'd eavesdropped by accident and caught the fatal words.

' _I saw her once coming from the woods with her clothes messed up and limping funny,'_ Piper said in a whisper.

' _You don't think …?'_ Jason didn't finish the sentence.

' _I don't think … I know,'_ she replied in a sad tone. ' _And it was always when she'd get most stressed about wanting to find Percy.'_

 _'_ _Then we should tell him,'_ Jason said firmly.

' _It's not our place Jason … Annabeth has to come clean about this,'_ she replied.

 _'_ _But …'_

Percy had left before they could continue, his heart slowly cracking as he made it to his room, crying himself to sleep while he could only ask one thing, why? Even after all had happened he kept the appearance of a happy and silly boyfriend for the trip and quest, knowing that he needed to focus for now or else the world would be doomed.

Luckily Hestia's kindness and warmth helped him and he regularly stayed at her palace rather than his father's. But, as the week went by, he noticed how whenever he happened by an Olympian, they would give him an odd glance before walking off and Hestia seemed nervous whenever around him. He even caught the traces of regret in her eyes but for what, he wasn't sure. He broke out of his thoughts as he noticed that he'd walked all the way to the throne room by accident but the doors were oddly closed, peaking his curiosity.

He glanced around to see if anyone was looking before he walked to the side of the building, out of any possibly prying eyes. Throughout the week he'd lightly tested some of his new abilities and learned some tricks. With his palm firmly pressed against the side of the building he could feel every inch of the marble and stone. He could place where exactly each thrown was and even how the occupants were sitting or fidgeting in them. He focused more with his mind until an image appeared and he suddenly found himself watching the throne room from above, every word and gesture not escaping his notice.

He noted that Artemis was oddly absent and Hestia was arguing with her brothers, save Hades who looked furious about something but remained silent. He listened in as his curiosity was peaked even more.

"… You can't seriously be considering this!?" Hestia shouted at Poseidon who only waved her off dismissively.

"That upstart has dared to reject our offer again and humiliated us, something must be done!" Zeus boomed as he glared at his older sister.

"But it was his choice," Hestia countered while glaring back with steam literally coming off her. "Why can't you accept that he wishes to live a mortal life?"

" _Mortal_ ," Athena spat with disgust, "and why would anyone wish to remain in such a state?"

"For his family!" Hestia shouted back. "He wishes to remain for Sally, Paul, and his baby sister. He wishes to remain because he can protect the demigods that fought beside him for years rather than become a god and be forced to watch them all die!"

Poseidon scoffed before fixing his sister with a glare, "That won't be an issue for long."

"What do you mean?" Hestia asked suspiciously before she suddenly went pale as she grabbed her arm rest.

At the same time Hades shot up, his own features turning to shock and then horror. He seemed to pale more if possible before looking at Poseidon and Zeus.

"W-what … have you done?" he asked in a whisper as the entire room seemed to grow colder.

"Removing a foolish reason for my son to remain mortal," Poseidon answered soberly.

"Y-you … killed them …" Hestia whispered as the hearth seemed to slowly shrink in on itself.

"Not me," Poseidon answered before a silver flash happened, then Artemis appeared with some mortal blood on her hands and a cruel glint in her eyes and a faint smile on her lips.

"It is done uncle," Artemis said just before Hades roared in rage.

"How dare you kill Sally and Paul Blofis!?"

His anger was palpable enough to make every Olympian, save Hestia, shiver but even that didn't compare to the rage Percy was feeling as he listened to this.

Strike Two.

The room started to shake making the Olympians look around in alarm. Percy was starting to see red, wanting nothing more than to gut Artemis and his father, but then a familiar presence appeared in his mind.

' _Percy! Control your emotions, don't let yourself be enslaved to them! I know you're angry but you can't do anything now! Please control it! I know you can!'_ came Nyx's voice, cutting through the clutter of his murderous thoughts.

As he settled something snapped. His anger, once a tempest of burning rage cooled until all he felt was a numb cold in him. His anger turned into a frozen hatred. He would see these monsters beg like the animals they are. He would rip apart everything they hold dear and one day, when they were literally pleading to fade, only then would he kill them. So with that thought, he settled and continued to watch as the room stopped shaking. The Olympians remained weary but soon returned to their discussion, some glancing at Poseidon to see if he had anything to do with it but he looked just as confused.

Their attention returned to a seething Hades but the god of the underworld simply turned around before muttering, "I will not be part of this," and with that, left in a burst of shadow.

Hestia was silently sobbing, looking at her 'family' in disgust but Zeus ignored it as he looked at Artemis.

"So is it properly done?' he asked to which she nodded firmly with her smile growing for a moment.

"Yes," she answered, "I've almost forgotten what it felt like to properly castrate a _boy_ though I do regret not turning him into a jackalope and feeding him to my wolves. Oh, and don't worry, Phoebe and I made sure it looked like a monster attack."

"B-But … what about Sally?" Hestia asked in a whisper.

Artemis shrugged dismissively though she did fail to meet Hestia's gaze. "Not a maiden, none of my concern. At least I got a new baby girl to train into a proper huntress in the future."

"But that's Percy's sister!" Hestia shouted as she found her strength. "How can you kill his family and then just take the last piece of it!?"

"He's a _boy_ , why should I care?" Artemis asked while looking back at her aunt in anger. "Besides, it's not like he'll ever know."

"But he saved you! _Twice!_ And this is how you repay him!?" Hestia screamed as the other Olympians remained silent while watching.

"I will never owe anything to a damned _boy_ ," Artemis growled as her frame glowed silver and her grip on her arm rest tightened to the point of making it crack.

"But this is wr—"

Smack!

Everyone stood still, in shock as they looked at the scene. Poseidon stood before Hestia, his hand still outstretched after having slapped Hestia. She looked at him with betrayal and pain in her eyes, a sizable mark already forming on her cheek.

"Why?" she asked in trembling whisper. "How could you let them kill Sally? To hurt your own son like this?"

"That mortal stopped being my concern the moment she spread her legs for another man," Poseidon growled as he looked at his silently crying sister. "And I will not have her be the reason I lose my favored son!" he shouted before he returned back to his throne before adding, "And honestly I would have preferred the child gone too but I can accept Artemis taking her as long as she makes sure he never finds out."

Strike Three!

Hestia looked around the council, looking for any support but she found none. Most agreed, their pride hurt after Percy's refusal, and the few who didn't agree remained silent such as Demeter and Aphrodite. With a final sob Hestia turned before disappearing in a burst of fire, the hearth in the throne room falling barely above the coals burning in it.

Percy watched this all unfold, his hatred for the Olympians growing with every second. He silently watched as Poseidon returned to his throne. Percy was about to leave but caught the last words before his connection to the throne room broke.

"… We'll inform him of his parent's demise tomorrow before offering immortality again … and if he doesn't accept … death will be the answer …"

Percy's eyes snapped open as he looked at the marble wall before him. He glanced down to see ice had formed along his feet and where his hand had touched the wall. His hatred loomed within him, his heart beating sadly as he stepped back from the wall. He needed to leave now. He knew it, otherwise he could snap and no one that gets in his way would be spared. So he turned around, not glancing back at the grand throne room as he walked towards the path leading to the elevator. He wasn't coming back any time soon … and once he did, this city would be ash …

* * *

Percy opened his eyes again only to meet a pair of pitch black swirls looking back at him. Nyx sat before him, watching him intently as he tried to focus on his internal powers … only to go down memory lane again.

"Percy," Nyx nearly whined as she huffed at him, "Focus. We've been at this for a year now."

"I know," Percy sighed as he straightened his back and focused on the space between his palms.

So far a year had passed since he'd jumped into Tartarus … or about two and a half months in the upper world since time passes five times faster down here. In that time Nyx had explained to him her goal and why she needed him to achieve the Law of Succession. As it turned out, the law had two ways to pan out. Either through a primordial willingly naming an heir or through conquest which allowed him to permanently defeat Gaea though she wasn't completely gone yet. For lack of better terms she is in a state of limbo and will only truly fade once her heir claims her domain but Percy had decided that he didn't want it.

With Nyx's help he'd removed the 'core' of Gaea's power from himself and now she stored it away, telling him that it was his right to choose who would inherit the power and domains. Once he'd disconnected from it Nyx dropped a bomb on him that he didn't expect … granted when she said ' _our_ successor', he should have seen it coming.

Nyx wanted him to inherit her domains along with those of Erebus, her late husband. She had his 'core' and by channeling it, she'd given Percy the full blessing of Erebus along with her own. In response to the blessings, Percy's appearance had changed again to match the new power. His irises had become midnight black like Nyx but actually looked like a swirl of flaming darkness sucking in the light while his pupils glowed a beautiful, icy blue. With it his hair mirrored Nyx's and his tan became lighter though still noticeably darker than Nyx.

Aside from his changes he'd gained an incredible control of shadows and darkness itself that could attack and snuff out any source of light or heat. He noted that any shadows he controlled became significantly colder and when shadow traveling, he left a trail of frost on the entrance and exit. But now, Nyx wanted to see him mastering the darkness and to do that, he needed to generate pure darkness rather than control a shadow.

So, for the last three months, he'd been training. Every morning he would battle hordes of monsters with a variety of swords. Claymores, sabers, machetes, katana, and any other blade design he could think of, all for the goal of making him a master of swords. Then he would rest for a few hours only to fight monsters again but this time solely with his powers and fists … which lead to fascinating discoveries such as forming shadow claws capable of slicing through even some of the toughest monsters. He occasionally used Hestia's blessings as well, usually in the form of Greek fire to bombard particularly stubborn monsters. It got to the point monsters now had to be threatened to even dare face him.

Still, the last segment of his schedule, meditating while trying to form the pure essence of his powers, was showing little to no results. Sure, his control and stamina when using his powers was only getting better but he still couldn't generate darkness and it was frustrating him. His brow was already trickling with sweat as he glared at the empty space between his palms.

"Focus," Nyx said softly as she gazed at his palms as well.

"This … isn't … working," he ground out as his hands nearly trembled from strain.

He kept at it for several minutes before releasing a defeat sigh as he dropped his hands on his lap while Nyx frowned.

"This doesn't make sense," she muttered as she looked at him. "Your control is nothing short of making you a prodigy but you can't manifest your element."

"I don't know," he replied as he gazed at his hands, "It's like … my power is pulling in different directions and trying not to mix."

Nyx quirked an eyebrow at him while motioning with her hand for him to go on.

"Maybe … let me try something different," he said with narrowing eyes as he looked at his hands.

He then separated them, pointing both palms up as he focused on channeling his power. This time he simply called on it but didn't try to control it … simply letting it flow as it wished through him. He closed his eyes as he felt the atmosphere cool around him, the sound of frost forming below him. He remained like that for several minutes until he heard Nyx gasp making his eyes snap open to see his palms … and it left him dumbstruck.

In his right palm floated an orb of fire … a black fire with small streaks of icy blue that gave no heat. In fact, Percy was sure that the fire was burning at temperatures well below zero in either degree type. Then, in his left palm floated a crystal that seemed to be formed out of shadow with similar icy blue streaks in it. Both seemed to suck in light and warmth.

"Incredible," Nyx whispered as she gingerly reached for the fire and slowly poked a finger into it.

However, she frowned when her finger was in the flame but there was no reaction or anything happening to her. She then looked at him before saying, "Percy, try to hurt me."

"What?" he asked, taken aback by her sudden request.

"Think about hurting me," she said as she gestured to her finger still in the fire.

"But …"

"Just do it," she snapped.

He sighed as he nodded before thinking of the flames harming her. Barely a second later she gasped in pain as she pulled her finger back and looked at it. Her index finger looked like it had frostbite but in the pattern of a burn with her pale skin turning a sickly mix of icy blue and black. She brought her other hand up and tried to focus her godly energy into the finger to heal it … but nothing happened. She frowned as she focused more of her power to the point her entire frame radiated shadows. Slowly her skin regained its pale tone to the point it didn't look frostbitten but the scaring remained.

"I can't believe it," she sighed as she wiped off some sweat while looking at his confused expression. "You managed to create the polar opposite of Tartarus' most deadly invention."

"And that would be?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Hellfire," she answered gravely, making his eyes widen.

He'd never had the displeasure of experiencing it himself but he'd seen the results on some monsters. Anything burned by Hellfire permanently keeps the burn marks, even after reforming and feels the ghost pains for eternity unless healed by Tartarus himself. The burns are incredibly hard to heal to the point even the Phlegethon cannot fully heal its burns in one sitting. But now, he'd created the opposite. A fire that was so cold it burned and left the victim frostbitten. He even noticed that Nyx grimaced as she twitched the finger.

"But how did I make it?" he asked as he looked at the flames in his palm again … and wondering if these flames had a similar curse to them. He'd need to figure out how to remove the curse if it did.

"My guess," Nyx started as she studied his fire, "Is that the blessings and linages in you each left aspects to fuse with your new power."

Seeing his confused face she rolled her eyes before continuing. "It seems Hestia's fire and your rare trait of Ice control from Poseidon mixed with the darkness to form this … Voidfire. And, much like Hestia, your flames will not harm those you consider family or precious unless you willingly do it." She then pointed to the crystal in his other palm. "And that is what's left of Gaea's power in you. Not only did you become partially immortal the moment you defeated her but you also gained a rare trait from her, the control of natural crystals. I'm guessing that the crystal has a similar affect to the Voidfire of yours."

"Wow," he said in awe as he looked at the manifestations of his power making Nyx giggle.

"Well, this has been an eventful evening but your luck ran out," she said ominously.

He looked at her as a cold shiver ran down his spine … odd, he couldn't remember the last time the cold bothered him.

"Now we can train with this new power and by the looks of it … I might have to pull one of my favors with Tartarus," she finished as lightning cracked behind her making her eyes glow maliciously.

' _Where the hell did the lightning come form!?'_ he thought as he did the only thing a true man could do in this dire situation … he whimpered for mercy.

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Bet no one saw that coming! Percy on his way ladies and gents. Trying to make him different and original from all the other stories that he's linked to Nyx, Tartarus, or any other primordial with their blessings. Let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	4. Reclaiming Family

**Author's Note: Sup everyone! Lots of reviews and support from the lat chapter so keep it up! Makes me ecstatic! Here I am with yet another chapter, a little longer than usual but don't get too used to it, I'll tend to make them smaller unless I just need to get a lot of stuff out. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Everything belongs to uncle Rick**

 **PS. Just got a account so if you feel like stopping by and becoming a patron, by all means.**

* * *

 **: /jbubu**

* * *

 **5 Years Later (25 in Tartarus)**

The clash of blades rang through the air as the combatants danced back and forth in a deserted field. It was two to one and neither side was backing down. The lone one was a man, dressed in nothing more than black leather pants and two blades in his hands. One was a beautiful obsidian black blade forged into a katana reaching three feet with a glowing blue line along the center of the blade. It was guard-less and had a dark blue, metal and wrapped leather handle with the engraving _Purgatory_ in ancient Greek near the base. The second one was an equally dark blade designed like the famous Viking swords, the Ulfberht, a double-edged sword of three feet with a near imperceptible tapper leading to a short but fine point. Along the blade, the engraving _Sin_ was also written in ancient Greek.

Both blades had been forged with a fusion of Abyss crystals and Tartarean steel to make them basically indestructible. They were smelted with Hellfire and cooled with Voidfire, the first and only such blades of their existence. Two blades that manifested his deadliest abilities and could only be wielded by those he allowed. Swords that could cut down even the mightiest of immortals as easily as a harvester cuts his field. Both his opponents were aware of the lethality of his weapons and both maneuvered with skills mastered through millennia to avoid so much as a nick from either blade.

One opponent was an immense man, easily towering both others at nine feet in height, his entire body hidden under a heavy cloak but even then you could see his bulging muscle underneath. He swung a massive great-sword with ease and grace, the speed of which made the blade look like a black blur. His fellow fighter was obviously a woman of petite build wielding what looked like a foot long knife attached to the end of a slick chain. Both attacked together seamlessly, an endless barrage of slashes and stabs but their opponent handled the onslaught with unparalleled skill, his two swords meeting every strike.

The katana in his right deflected every attempt of the woman, at times nearly cutting her but she always managed to evade at the last moment. At the same time his Ulfberht in his left blocked or deflected the great-sword. It would have seemed odd at the sight in how one man, a fraction of the size of the one wielding the great-sword, could match him in strength with no noticeable trouble while also moving faster than the woman as she moved around him.

They kept fighting, their movement beyond the ability of any mortal or lesser immortals to even perceive, let alone matching. Soon the single man seemed to falter in his steps and the woman made her move. She tossed her knife with deadly precision towards the man's head while the larger man made a grand overhead swing to cut the man down the center. Too late both noticed the man's smirk as he tossed _Purgatory_ into the air before his free hand grabbed the chain as his head tilted to the side, allowing the knife to sail past harmlessly. With a sharp tug the woman was hauled towards him while also raising _Sin_ towards the oncoming great-sword.

He raised his Ulfberht and used it to catch the massive great-sword, the sheer force of which made the ground beneath him crater with only a slight bend of his knees. Then he flicked the sword to the side while turning on his heel, his sword brought up until the point tapped against the chest of the larger man. At the same time the woman fell at his feet and turned on her back … only to see _Purgatory_ fall into his waiting palm before the blade was immediately at her throat, daring her to move.

"Damn," she muttered as the larger man scoffed.

"Cheap trick," he grumbled in a dark and old voice.

"You taught me well," was the smaller man's cheeky reply.

The three stood silent for another few seconds before all three started to chuckle as they pulled back with their weapons at their sides. Now it was possible to get a proper look at the man. He stood at 6 foot'4, with a body sculpted by angels … or fallen angels considering their location. His body didn't have an ounce of fat and his steely yet lean muscles coiled just beneath the surface with the body of a perfect gymnast. Flexible and light yet undeniably strong and resilient, a body meant for the perfect warrior. Even after years of seeing him like this the woman couldn't help but blush. It made her wonder if taking a vow of chastity after her late husband was worth it but in the end her resolve remained strong.

The man's wild hair was pitch black but the very tips had an icy blue color, giving him a classic bad-boy air. His eyes were mesmerizing with literally black, flaming irises and glowing, icy blue pupils. He had a lightly tanned, chiseled face of a 25 year old at his prime. This man could make Adonis switch teams with his looks and get Hera to have an affair if he wanted, the apex of the male form. This man is Perseus Jackson and his opponents are none other than Nyx, Primordial of Night, and Tartarus, Primordial of the Pit.

"Well Percy, I think you're ready," Nyx said as she made her knife and chain disappear into shadows.

"Really!?" Percy asked excitedly as his swords turned into matching rings on his index fingers.

"Yep," Nyx said before looking at her older brother. "Don't you think?"

"Hmph … might as well," Tartarus, the ever cold, snorted.

Nyx rolled her eyes at her brother's antics but knew on the inside he was proud. They'd trained Percy together …after Percy had successfully become the champion of Tartarus' arena in the deepest recesses in the Pit, and prepared him to lead the next generation. His fighting ability was second to none, themselves included, and with the domains he would inherit it was doubtless that he would be more powerful than Tartarus had ever been and he'd been Chaos' eldest child. But Percy had still kept his kind heart, making him immensely loyal to those that earn it and protective of anyone he cares about.

"So Percy," Nyx said as she nearly giggled at his massive grin. "Go on … complete the next step."

Percy nodded as he took a deep breath before speaking in a voice laced with power, " **I, Perseus Theseus Jackson, state my claim and right to be heir of Nyx, Primordial of Night, and Erebus, Primordial of Darkness and Shadows!** "

With his words completed he glowed a magnificent mix of icy blue and pitch black, an eruption of power flowed off him making Nyx shudder. ' _Definitely going to be the strongest,'_ she thought as the power settled down allowing her to get a better look at her heir. He looked the same but was now wearing a long coat actually made of darkness with the hood pulled back and a muscle shirt, also formed from darkness that was practically a second skin. The trims were icy blue and the very air around him misted over with frost, his eyes glowing with power.

' _The process is almost complete,'_ Nyx thought as Percy seemed to study himself. There was one step left, for him to actually claim her domain as his but for now he had a partial link to his claimed domains and she needed to train him in their connection. Once his training was complete, he would need to fully claim his domain which would lead to her finally fading and joining her husband in the realm of the faded. ' _Though, he has an extra two steps,'_ she thought with a slight frown.

No new primordial could truly be born without the will of a council or king … and right now the thrown was empty. Another task is that Anake's heir needs to be chosen to give the full titles of each new primordial since the Fates could not control them. Until then, no new primordial could obtain full control of all their domains leaving them limited like the Olympians and their dependence on Western Civilization. As of now Percy is roughly 75% primordial and his true power will come when he claims his domains and is name his titles by Anake's heir. But for now that was more than enough and power wise Percy was an easy match for several Olympians or a major Titan such as Kronos at full strength.

"Great," Nyx said after noting that Percy finished inspecting himself, "By the way, try and see if you have a sacred animal."

Most protogenoi don't but then again, there's never been a primordial that started out as a demigod. In truth, Nyx and Tartarus were basically shooting in the dark with Percy and the generation that would follow. How strong could they grow? What would happen to Earth and the other planets left by Chaos with differing gods and pantheons? It was all a mystery and Nyx couldn't help but be excited for it since she would always have a sense of her domain even after passing into the realm of the faded so she would know how it goes.

Percy looked at her and Tartarus with a quirked eyebrow for a moment before shrugging and closing his eyes. Nyx felt his power spike as his frame glowed in mixes of black and light blue before suddenly his form started to shift as darkness wrapped around him. He fell to his hands and knees before his body started to change. His coat of darkness turned into fur, his nose and jaws elongated into a snout, and a tail grew out of his back … and then he started to grow.

Nyx's eyes widened as she watched Percy grow to nearly three meters in height at the shoulders before the darkness dissipated to reveal an absolutely gorgeous wolf. His fur was like a perfect night, black and smooth. His body was lean and collided with powerful muscle, his eyes still the same black flames with icy blue pupils and some of his fur had light blue streaks.

"Wow," Nyx murmured as Percy inspected himself while sitting in a typical dog fashion before looking at her. He tilted his head to the side while one of his ears twitched making Nyx have to suppress the most girly squeal and desire to pet him.

It seemed Percy caught on as he actually keened while giving her perfect puppy dog eyes. Her dam broke as she practically tackled him, burying her face in his surprisingly warm fur. She quickly stood on her toes and hugged his large neck while cooing, loving the sensation of his fur as it passed through her fingers. She caught Tartarus chuckling but didn't care as she got her fix before finally stepping back. Percy gave her a wolf grin, gleaming white fangs and all, before he shifted back to his human form, still grinning at her.

"So, wolves huh? Can't say I'm disappointed at all," he said.

"It will actually make things easier," Tartarus commented making both Percy and Nyx look at him questioningly. "You were going to infiltrate the Hunt right?"

"Ah … not really?" Percy asked sheepishly. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'hi and die' before taking back my sister."

"But she's been with the Hunt for five years. Sure that means she's about six or seven but you don't know what kind of lies the Hunt has been feeding her. You'll need to gain her trust before taking her away from them … otherwise you might end up with your little sister hating you," Tartarus explained.

"You mean that filthy band of sexist murderers has to live for longer?" Nyx asked with disgust evident in her voice.

She'd watched them for a long time, seen how Artemis spread her own hate and misery into innocent girls who'd been hurt once by men. Sure, a good deal of men were nothing but pigs waiting for slaughter but festering and cultivating that hate into emotionally fragile teens and children did nothing for them and only harmed others in the end. Just how many wives had Artemis left as widows? Sons and daughters without fathers or next of kin all because they happened to cross Artemis' path without having done anything wrong. Brothers, younger and older, abandoned by their sisters regardless of how much they need them? The Di Angelo siblings were a prime example of that.

Percy growled in agreement, showing that with his animal's awakening he'd grown a set of fangs that remained in either form. Tartarus didn't even look phased though as he continued on.

"Look. Your form is perfect for infiltrating the camp as a wolf. Your sister is young so she shouldn't even have a companion yet. That will be your perfect chance to get close to her, bond, and slowly show her the truth. Then, when she is ready, bring her here and do with the Hunt what you will."

"But they'll be suspicious if a huge, pitch black wolf suddenly shows up out of the blue and gets too close to her too soon. Not to mention you can feel the power coming off him that already comes close to a minor god when suppressed," Nyx interjected. "They'll ask too many questions and watch him closely. It'll be better if he just skins them alive."

"But what of his cousin?" Tartarus asked with his red eyes glowing under his hood intently.

Okay, what was going on? Since when did Tartarus advise against violence and death?

"What about her?" Percy asked with a frown.

"Well, you know Artemis and Phoebe were there but how do you know that Thalia was involved? She may be innocent and could be spared or even brought to your side," Tartarus answered making Percy slowly nod as he thought on it.

"Great," Nyx sighed in frustration, "So how exactly can he infiltrate them?"

Tartarus chuckled before he glanced to Percy, "Why not ask her to go with you?"

At the mention of _her_ , Percy blushed slightly while rubbing his neck. Nyx smirked at the reaction, knowing what was going on in his mind. They'd been friends for 20 years down here after Nyx freed her from her imprisonment … not that the Olympians would know considering Zeus is the only one that knew the location of her prison and completely forgot about her centuries ago … which also meant she wasn't freed with Percy's request.

The pair hit it off immediately and became the closest of friends. Percy would help her train in combat and she would teach him all sorts of history and other mundane things she enjoyed doing. It certainly made Percy a better cook, that was for sure. However after a decade they started to get closer to the point everyone could see their chemistry except the pair in question … that and Percy had budding feelings for another. Problem was, he definitely liked both and with how similar they are, it would make since that he'd be confused about it.

"I'm not so sure, I mean …"

Before he could finish there was a flash beside the trio and they all looked to see their arrival. ' _Speak of the devil,'_ Nyx thought while suppressing a giggle as Percy blushed more at the girl in question. She stood at a 5 foot'10 making her rather tall by girl standards. Dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders with goldish hazel eyes with flecks of green, filled with warmth. Her skin was a coppery tone, flawless complexion, and a figure to die for dressed in a snug black and green dress that reached her knees.

Before them stood Rhea, Titaness of Fertility, Motherhood, and Mountain Wilds … and now, primordial heiress of the Earth thanks to Percy. Also the mother of Percy's other crush making it hilariously awkward in Nyx's opinion. ' _Oh I can't wait to see where this love triangle goes,'_ she thought as Rhea greeted Percy with her heart melting smile that got another blush out of him as he looked away with a hasty reply. Of course that lead to Rhea trying to see his face, innocently wondering why he was so red. Nyx watched the pair do their familiar back and forth for a few minutes before she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Okay then, now that everyone's here … or at least those relevant at the moment," Nyx muttered the last bit while thinking about some of her other siblings doing who knows what. "So Rhea, Percy needs your help for a mission."

"What is it?" Rhea asked with a shine in the eyes.

Rarely has she been allowed to visit the mortal world in these few years. Mostly under Nyx's shadows to get some information and remain hidden from the Olympians. So of course she would jump at the chance of an extended stay, especially if Percy was going with her.

"Percy is infiltrating the Hunt," Tartarus answer making Rhea immediately frown.

She'd heard and even seen the aftermath of the Hunt after their particular 'hunts' which were honestly purges of any man that happened to get caught when they were in the mood. She even witnessed one family camping get tortured by some of the elder hunters because the mother and daughter tried to defend their father/husband and brother/son even though they were boys. And the most sickening part was Artemis watched on with near indifference and even advised on how to make it more affective against the males. If anything, after her pride was hurt when Percy saved her in the Giant War, she'd become crueler and colder to any man she saw.

Rhea had gone straight to her room and cried after witnessing it and being forced to do nothing lest she reveal her escape to the Olympians. Luckily Percy managed to cheer her up with hugs, cookies, and snuggling while watching some cheesy movie. However, now she would need to help Percy get in and have to socialize with the barbarians when she'd probably want to brain them with her bow staff.

"Do we have to infiltrate them? Why not just kill them?"

You know Rhea hates something when _she_ suggests violence. Tartarus sighed at Rhea's question before giving her the same reasoning he'd given Nyx and Percy. She thought it over before nodding and then looking at Percy.

"So you'll turn into a wolf? Can you show me?" Rhea asked eagerly making Percy smile faintly as he nodded.

Soon he took his form again and looked at Rhea with that adorable tilt of the head. Rhea made a noise that sounded suspiciously like 'squeeee' before she gave Percy a flying hug and buried her head in his fur as well. Tartarus sighed before muttering, "This will take a while." Nyx on the other hand just giggled. How she loved these two, making her happy for the first time in centuries.

* * *

 **Mortal World**

It was nighttime in California. The night air was cool and soothing as light breezes caressed the tree leaves, the moon shining brightly with a cold light. In a clearing the shadows started to coil and condense in the center, an eerie aura of cold and darkness suffocating the air. All animals went silent, from the crickets to the few deer out in this evening. Soon the darkness formed a shape of a hulking wolf and rider before it dissipated to reveal Percy and Rhea. Percy's fur made him next to invisible in the lingering shadows as even the light of the moon touching him seemed to be soaked up, never to be seen again.

Rhea looked like a 12 year old girl, her clothes changed to simple jean shorts and a snug brown shirt, all ruffled up and looking a little dirty for extra effect. Her eyes were also changed to a soft green to not give away her power and with a small obsidian earing made by Nyx, Artemis would think that Rhea is little more than a demigod of a minor god. Percy also had a collar made of the same material that would make his power feel like a wolf from Lupa's pack. Their backstory wasn't that sound, especially his size, but it would have to do.

"So where are they exactly?" Rhea asked as Percy took off in a light jog (gallop?) towards the south.

' _I can sense them about a mile away,'_ he thought back since he couldn't risk anyone knowing he could speak in this form.

He could sense anything with a shadow within several miles of him thanks to his partial domain so he knew exactly where the Hunt was currently camped. Rhea held on tight as he picked up speed, his form looking like a shadow gliding along the forest floor. He loved the feeling of the night and darkness around him as he ran at speeds even Artemis' hunters wouldn't be able to keep up, the cool wind in his face as Rhea snuggled into his soft fur.

He was glad he was a wolf, otherwise she might have seen him blushing at the contact. He really couldn't get the heiress and to make matters worse, he was pretty sure he liked her … but he also liked her daughter! What is he supposed to do in that situation!? To make matters worse he had no idea if either would return his affections and that thought made his normally stony heart hurt even more than it had for years after he left this world behind.

He gave a wolf's equivalent of a sigh as he trudged on, trying to focus more on finding the Hunt rather than his jumbled feelings. However, the thought of that group, especially Artemis and Phoebe, made his frigid blood boil. He would see those two ripped apart … but not before taking away everything they hold dear and having them literally begging for any form of death. His thoughts continued to the point he released a bloodcurdling growl while the ground beneath him froze on contact with his paws.

"Percy," Rhea whispered gently as she hugged his neck from behind.

Just her voice was enough to calm him down, his entire frame relaxing as he sent her a mental thank you. He felt her nod into his neck as he continued to move through the forest nearly soundless, his senses picking up every scent, sight, and sound around him. Soon he picked up the sound of chatter and laughing along with the scents of cooked meat, marshmallows, and a campfire. ' _Found them,'_ he told Rhea as he turned in their direction.

Soon he arrived at the edge of their camp, just out of the fire light as Rhea dismounted him. With that Percy backed up a few feet, letting the darkness envelop him, presence and all. With him hidden, Rhea continued on to the next part of the plan.

"H-hello!" she called in a tired and timid voice making the laughter abruptly stop.

Soon the hunters appeared, a solid 30 of them ranging from 6 to 17 year olds, all with bows in hand but no arms notched yet. Soon a familiar hunter wearing a tiara stepped up, her electric blue eyes looking at Rhea intently.

"Who are you?" she asked with stern though not unkind tone.

"M-Mira," Rhea answered while fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"Well Mira, what are you doing here?" Thalia asked as she stepped closer but kept one hand in her pocket, obviously gripping her hidden spear in case 'Mira' turned out to be a threat. Oh if only she knew.

"I'm lost," Rhea replied nervously while looking at Thalia with pleading eyes. "My mom said I had to run south … something about a camp … and they would tell me who my dad is."

"A demigod huh?" Thalia commented before she glanced back to the group of gathered girls.

Soon a particular 12 year old approached with auburn hair and silvery-yellow eyes. ' _Artemis,'_ Percy growled in his mind as she approached Rhea. Oh how he wanted to simply attack now and tear her throat out, to make her scream and cry as she forced to watch him destroy the Hunt. He kept himself in check however as he carefully watched the hunters behind her. It didn't take him long to spot her.

Obviously the youngest one. A little girl with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, his mother's cheeks and nose, and a scent that was slightly similar to his own. There was his sister, Andromeda Jackson. He'd only managed to see her once, when she was little more than a year old. All before Hera initiated her plan and took eight months of his life away. He wished with all his heart he could just walk up to her and hug her but for now he needed to remain silent.

"What is your story girl?" Artemis asked after inspecting Rhea and subtly reaching out with her own power to get a read on Rhea's. Luckily Nyx's charms worked like … well, charms.

"Umm … a week ago a tall man with one eye appeared and attacked my house. My m-mom … was hurt," Rhea started to sniffle before continuing, "There was too much blood but before the monster could get me my mom threw this dagger at it." Rhea pulled out a small celestial bronze dagger with dried blood on it from her back pocket. "It hit the monster in the head and he exploded into gold dust. Then my mom told me about a camp and to run away … and to leave her behind." Rhea was fully crying now, rubbing one of her hands into her eye as she pitifully looked at Artemis. "But … he kept me safe and helped me travel here."

" _He_?" Artemis asked venomously as she suddenly had her bow in hand and the other hunters copied her while scanning around. "Where is the _boy_ that accompanied you? Did he take advantage of you?"

' _Tch. Typical. She didn't say anything bad about me and Artemis already thinks I'm the reason bad shit happened,'_ Percy thought while rolling his eyes from the shadows.

"No … he's my companion," Rhea muttered softly. "He was hunting when the attack happened but he's kept me safe ever since I got him."

"Companion?" Thalia asked this time as she lowered her spear though she kept scanning the trees.

"Mhm … Umbra," Rhea answered while clearing her face before asking in a hopeful voice, "Want to meet him? He's big and strong and … well … the only thing my dad left for me when I was five."

Artemis and Thalia glanced at each other before Thalia slowly nodded while Artemis maintained a steady grip on her bow.

Rhea gave them a faint smile before turning around to face him and called excitedly, "Umbra! Come here boy!"

Percy waited a few moments before making any movement. He then slowly crept out of the shadows, the hunters gasping and taking steps back at his sheer size as he towered beside Rhea.

"Big ass wolf," Thalia muttered as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Yep," was Rhea's peppy reply as she hugged his leg since she couldn't reach his shoulder. "He's big and fluffy."

"Still a damned _male_ ," Phoebe sneered with an arrow aimed straight at him.

He would have growled at her but doing that would get the entire Hunt into aiming at him and killing them all wasn't the plan … yet.

"No!" Rhea shouted as she stood in front of him with her arms spread. "I won't let you hurt him. I've had him since he was a puppy. He's a good boy and really nice and protective."

They were at a standoff, some of the hunters keeping an arrow aimed at him while others glanced nervously at Artemis. She seemed to be thinking about it before looking at Rhea intently.

"And you. Are you planning to join the Hunt?"

Rhea shuffled her feet as she looked as if thinking about it. In all honesty she wouldn't be caught dead swearing into Artemis' Hunt. After a while she looked back at Artemis and spoke shyly, "Umm … my mom wanted me to go to the camp. Can I at least see it before deciding?"

"Hmm …" Artemis hummed as she scratched her chin, occasionally glancing at him. After a while she nodded. "Very well, I shall allow you to travel with us since we were heading in that direction anyways. It will take up to a two weeks or so but that should give you more than enough time to see the how the Hunt is the right choice. Now, as for your companion … should he show any typical male behavior or try anything on our wolves, I will skin him alive."

 _'_ _As if you could,'_ they both thought through their mental connection while Rhea smiled and nodded. With that Artemis waved the Hunt off and all returned to the campfire except for Thalia and Andromeda, who walked up to Artemis and lightly tugged at her shirt to get her attention.

"Mommy …" she said in a gentle voice.

At her words Percy felt his cold hatred return with a vengeance as he looked at the goddess. How dare she try to take Sally's place after she _murdered_ their family!? If it hadn't been for Rhea hugging his leg he would have pounced and mauled Artemis to a bloody stain. ' _Calm down,'_ Rhea said soothingly in his mind making him take a deep breath as he watched his little sister.

"… C-can … I pet him?" she asked shyly as she looked at him.

Artemis had a conflicted look at the request, probably something about males and being pigs but after she glanced at Rhea and got an assuring nod, she looked back at Andromeda.

"Yes you may, Atalanta …"

Percy suppressed a growl again. Artemis then left after sharing a glance with Thalia while Andromeda looked at them nervously but Rhea simply walked up to her and took her hand before gently pulling her towards Percy. Percy on his part laid down so that he didn't look so imposing, even going as far as to lowering his head onto the ground and throwing out some puppy eyes at her. Andromeda giggled, a musical sound that filled Percy's heart with joy, as she got a little closer before tentatively reaching out with a shaky hand.

Percy slowly brought his snout up to nuzzle her hand, even licking it affectionately to get more giggles out of her. Soon enough she worked up the courage to come to Percy's side and begin to pet and hug him, making his tail wag while he continued to nuzzle her from time to time. While doing that he paid close attention to the conversation Thalia and Rhea were having.

"I didn't know Lady Artemis had a daughter," Rhea said as she looked at Thalia curiously.

"She's adopted," Thalia whispered too low for Andromeda to hear.

"From who?" Rhea persisted through innocent questioning.

"No idea," Thalia replied with a frown. "She just showed up with her one night five years ago covered in blood. Said that her mother had been killed by an abusive father and that Lady Artemis rescued her before it was too late."

"I … see," Rhea answered with a brief flash of anger in her eyes while glancing at Percy.

His thoughts were the same. Now he had confirmation that Thalia wasn't a part of the murder and that Andromeda was already being manipulated … that much easier to show her the truth really. Now he just hand to plan on how to do it … but for now he focused on enjoying the contact with his little sister as Rhea and Thalia continued to speak.

* * *

"Finally alone," Rhea murmured as she rested on top of Percy, using his fur as a blanket and pillow in one.

' _So … what do you think?'_ he asked while giving a once over to the tent they'd been given.

He could tell it had minor privacy charms built in so they didn't have to worry about being overheard. It was also well furnished with a twin bed, dresser, desk, and a chest at the foot of the bed. Only problem Rhea had was all the clothes they gave her is for hunters.

"Hera's work … no doubt," Rhea answered as she rolled off his back only to curl up into his side.

' _You're enjoying this too much,'_ he chuckled only to receive a cheeky grin. ' _But … what are we going to do about it? If Hera did anything, then Andromeda doesn't even have any baby memories we could use to tell her the truth.'_

"Not exactly," Rhea retorted with a raised finger. "Hera may have mind abilities but they don't compare to my sister's."

' _Mnemosyne,'_ Percy thought while looking at Rhea intently. That was one Titan that again, had not been set free after Percy's request since he didn't even know about her. Rhea actually helped Nyx free her a year or so ago in mortal time and she'd been in Tartarus with them ever since.

"Yep," Rhea replied while shuffling around to get comfortable. "I'll just pray to her for a small blessing so we can correct the damage done and return the memories. Hera can sever and hide them but she's not good actually taking them away permanently. Now we just have to work quickly before we get to the camp."

' _Agreed,'_ Percy replied as he set his head down and closed his eyes. ' _I'll get you back Andromeda … we'll be a family again, just you wait …'_

* * *

 **Author's Rant: And finally some beginnings of action. What will happen with Percy smack dab in the middle of a camp of hunters he hates? Who knows but it won't be pretty, haha! I'm guessing most of you knew Rhea was going to show up thanks to the tags but surprise! Rhea is going to be one of the new Primordial gods!**

 **Hope everyone enjoyed that, a pleasure, Jbubu**


	5. Siblings Reunited

**Author's Note: Yo! Another chapter up and the drama continues. Man, you guys are vicious with the whole fate of the Hunt! Don't worry, in time but there will be a little something for appeasement ;) Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Uncle Rick**

* * *

Three days had passed since Rhea and Percy joined the Hunt. In that time they'd memorized the patterns of the hunters and usual activities, looking for any chances to separate Andromeda from them so they could speak to her. So far, Percy had noticed she was a surprisingly early riser, just like Sally had been. Knowing that, Percy had taken to getting up even earlier and shadowing her while she went about her morning business which was usually walking around camp, exploring the nearby woods alone with a wolf or two from the companion pack, and generally enjoying the first bits of dawn alone.

She was smart from what he could tell and as sweet as Sally, always trying to get smiles out of everyone even when they were having a bad day. Hell, he was pretty sure Andromeda was the only one who'd ever gone into Thalia's tent to wake her up because she was lonely and came back out alive. Although, that made him wonder why was it that Artemis left her alone at such hours … maybe the goddess wasn't one for getting up at 5 in the morning. Though generally the entire Hunt was up by 7:30 at the latest.

The same thing was happening now except for a key difference. Instead of getting a few wolves from the pack, Andromeda left to explore without them, curious about the newest location the Hunt had stopped at. Apparently this was the first time the Hunt was stopping by Camp Jupiter in several years so she was very excited. Percy trailed silently after her, keeping an eye out for any threats that may be hiding in wait. He would have loved to walk beside her but he knew it would be too soon and some of the hunters still eyed him. The only times he got to enjoy her company was during the campfire that she would willingly sit by him and Rhea just to pet him.

He enjoyed that immensely but still his heart yearned for more. Still, he needed to bid his time and impatience wouldn't help him at all. So he watched her silently from the shadows, listening to her humming as she leisurely walked through the forest. They walked for some time until they arrived at a small creek where Andromeda sat down and took off her shoes before she dipped her feet in the cool stream, sighing in content. He sat back and merely watched, wondering what would be the best way to approach her. However, before he could think of anything he heard something snap from across the stream.

They both looked to see an injured boy, probably somewhere around 13 years old, stumbling out of the bushes. Percy could instantly tell it was a demigod by the scent and small sword in his hands. His purple t-shirt was ripped up and he looked like he'd been running for some time. He had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes with a lightly tanned complexion, his gate off since he was favoring his left leg.

The boy looked up to see Andromeda before he stopped. He probably recognized her hunter apparel considering that he suddenly looked more nervous as he scanned around before putting away his sword and raising his hand to look as harmless as possible.

"Hi," he said softly as Andromeda slowly got up and fidgeted with her hands. "I'm ah … Ryan."

"H-hello," she replied shyly while looking equally nervous. "I'm Atalanta."

"Nice name," Ryan complemented before he slowly lowered his hands. "Are you a huntress of Artemis?"

"No, not yet," Andromeda replied almost sadly before perking up, "But mommy says I will soon!"

"Oh, cool," Ryan replied easily as he continued to look around. "Hey … have you seen anyone else with a shirt like mine? I got separated from my team during our quest when a group of cyclops attacked us."

"No, I haven't," Andromeda replied as she looked around as well before focusing on Ryan again, "but maybe mommy might know. I can bring you with me if you want?" she asked sweetly with such a warm smile that Ryan couldn't help but smile at her.

"Umm sure … thank you," Ryan said as he walked a little closer and was about to offer a handshake when Percy caught the sound of something moving through the air.

He'd been so entrenched in his sister's exchange that he failed to notice the new presence … or react in time to stop what was coming. He watched, in shock, as a silver arrow embedded itself into Ryan's chest before he could shake Andromeda's hand. He gasped as Andromeda screamed in fright while falling back. Then, he coughed up some blood before his eyes rolled back into his head as he fell back, dead before he even hit the ground.

Percy's head snapped to the direction the arrow came from to see one of the most hated of hunters walking out of the shadows with a sneer on her face. Phoebe, the only hunter that rivaled Artemis in her hate for men and the most violent of the bunch being a child of Ares. Andromeda for her part was in shock as she looked at Ryan's still form and Percy continued to watch silently from the shadows, restraining every fiber in his being from killing the hunter here and now.

"W-why?" Andromeda asked in a weak voice as she finally looked at the hunter.

"He was a _boy,_ " Phoebe answered as if it was all the reason she needed, "And was about to take advantage of you so I killed him."

"But he didn't do anything wrong," Andromeda defended as she started to tear up while looking at Ryan.

"Him being alive was enough wrong already," Phoebe continued as she put away her bow.

Andromeda didn't look at her as she slowly crawled closer to Ryan before slowly reaching forward to close his eyes. But before she could Phoebe rushed forward and harshly slapped her hand away while screaming, "What the Hades do you think you're doing!?"

"I … I …" Andromeda stuttered in fear as she backed up from Phoebe.

"Damn girl! Don't you get it! We hate men! The filthy, deceitful, lying, pigs! They don't deserve any honor or last rites!" Phoebe ranted as Andromeda started to cry while cowering away. "You're so lucky Artemis even bothered taking a liking to you," Phoebe muttered darkly but Andromeda caught the comment.

"W-what?" she asked in confusion. "Bother with me? But … she's my mommy … why wouldn't she?"

Phoebe noticed her slip and bit out a curse while glaring at Andromeda.

"Nothing little girl," she spat before turning away, "make sure to return to the Hunt soon or your … mother will be upset and punish you."

Andromeda shivered at her words and Percy knew in that moment, that Andromeda had been punished before. For what, he didn't know or care. All that mattered to him was that regardless of what happened, he was getting Andromeda as far from the Hunt as he could. He then watched as Phoebe stalked away while Andromeda pulled her knees to her chest and started to sob. When Percy was sure Phoebe was gone he slowly approached from the shadows, purposely making his footfalls loud so Andromeda would hear him coming.

When he stepped on a brittle stick her head snapped open to look at him. She looked spooked for a moment but he still got closer before laying down just a few feet away from her and waited to see if she would approach. After a few minutes of staring at each other she did, until she was curled up in between his front legs and resting her head against his chest as his neck wrapped over her. She was still sobbing but it was getting softer by the minute and he could feel her relaxing. Then, surprisingly, she started to speak to him.

"Why do you always feel so … safe?" she asked as she snuggled into his fur. "… Like I know you from somewhere."

' _So Hera can separate memories but she can't take away familiar sensations and presences,'_ he thought, recalling the one time he had her in his arms and played with her for hours when he visited his mother and Paul. His mother did mention that Andromeda had been especially calm and happy when she played with Percy … well, as much as a 1 year old could before getting hungry or sleeping.

' _Perhaps you do know me,'_ he thought but was surprised to see her suddenly sit up and look at him in the eyes. ' _Oh shit! I didn't filter where my thoughts went!'_ he berated himself as Andromeda continued to stare at him.

"Y-you talked," she said in wonder.

He sighed, knowing he couldn't get out of his one so he nodded and watched with amusement as her eyes widened.

"Wow! You're a talking wolf!" she shouted in glee.

' _Actually you can hear me in your thoughts,'_ he corrected making her frown in confusion.

"So you can't actually talk?" she asked in clear disappointment.

"I never said that," he whispered, his voice carrying an underlying growl thanks to being a wolf, _'I just prefer to talk with thoughts,'_ he finished mentally.

"That's so cool! Wait till I tell mommy and Aunty Thalia," Andromeda cheered but frowned when Percy shook his head.

' _No, you can't tell them about me,'_ he said somewhat sadly.

"Why?" she asked.

' _Because … it would lead to bad things,'_ he replied while lowering his head.

"Like what?" she asked.

' _I can't tell you that right now but please … promise me you won't tell them, okay?'_ he asked her while looking at her intently.

She studied him for some time before she slowly nodded. "Okay, I won't, I promise," she added while hugging his neck briefly. Then, after a few minutes she pulled back and looked into Percy's eyes.

"Why are the hunters so mean to boys?" she asked him, "The ones that come by aren't that bad … but mommy always treats them bad and let's some of the hunters hurt them … at least Aunty Thalia doesn't join them … and mommy tried to get me to join but I said no. She shouted at me once and almost hit me when I asked her to stop … but then apologized a little later saying it was too soon."

' _What have they told you about boys?'_ he asked, trying to keep his cool at the thought of Artemis laying a finger on his sister.

"Just that they're terrible and cause all the suffering in the world … but I don't see how," she replied with a sad frown. "I mean … I've heard horror stories but the boys that I've seen look more scared and alone than anything. "

' _So you don't believe that all boys are terrible?'_ he asked.

"No … Aunty Thalia sometimes tells me stories about a brother she had but that he disappeared years ago … and mommy doesn't let her mention the name. Something about the Hunt searching for him for a few years but never finding him," Andromeda answered.

' _Hmm … what if I told you stories about him too?'_ he asked as he shifted his paws around his sister so both were more comfortable.

"You know him!? Can you tell me his name!?" she asked excitedly but Percy shook his head.

' _How about I tell you stories about him and later, when I think you're ready, I'll tell you his name,'_ he offered her.

She eagerly nodded making him chuckle before he looked up at the sky between the leaves of the leaves. ' _I think we have a little story time right now …'_

* * *

Atalanta was feeling great as she skipped through the camp on the way to the campfire. It had been nearly two weeks and they would soon arrive to Camp Jupiter just like her mommy said. In that time traveling she had gotten really close to Mira and her wolf, Umbra. Every morning she would explore with him, sometimes even getting to ride on his back and hear all kinds of stories about the Lost Hero of Olympus.

At times she wondered why he sounded so sad and bitter when he mention that particular title but he usually brushed it off if she tried to ask more about it. Still, the stories were amazing. To think that one boy, at 12, had killed the Minotaur with no training and then had so many adventures. He'd traveled to the Underworld, the Sea of Monsters, and the Old World. He fought Titans, sometimes alone or other times with help and saved the thrones of the gods. He'd held the sky up and rescued her mommy which made him super cool! That wasn't even the best part either!

Even after the Second Titan War, he fought again in the Second Giant War, became a praetor of Camp Jupiter, helped united the demigods fighting the Giants, and even defeated Gaea himself! She was so desperate to learn his name but Umbra never said it and she couldn't ask the other hunters since they weren't supposed to mention the name of _that_ hero if they knew it. Still, she was sure Umbra would keep his promise and tell her someday. But for now she settled for sitting against Umbra's side, right next to Mira, as they listened to songs around the campfire.

As they sat Atalanta glanced around at the other hunters and couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. She wasn't sure why but she'd always had these migraines and nightmares that didn't make sense. They were mostly of a woman and man that she couldn't place and screams. Then there was a face with the brightest, sea green eyes she'd ever seen. Of course, the first time she'd had the nightmares she told her mommy and then she called this other woman in. She looked regal, with a white chiton, dark brown hair tied into a braid, and some fancy jewelry around her biceps and necks.

The woman had approached her and then she'd blacked out … but there were no more nightmares. However, on the same night Rhea and Umbra arrived, they started again. Just little snippets and that gave her small headaches but she didn't tell her mommy this time. It was as if there was a soothing voice in the back of her head telling her to not let her mommy know … that those nightmares meant something more. She'd decided to tell Umbra about it tonight instead, right after everyone went down for the night and mommy was gone to drive her chariot.

She waited patiently while half-way snuggling into Umbra's side as the girls sang their songs and joked around. It sometimes surprised her how these seemingly friendly girls could turn into scary and mean hunters whenever a boy appeared or was even mention. So far, she was pretty sure only she, Mira since she was new, and Thalia didn't follow the trend. In fact, just recently she'd started to notice how some of the girls whisper about Thalia might not be the lieutenant if it wasn't for her being a daughter of Zeus since she didn't act like the rest of the Hunt.

Phoebe, that meanie, was the most upset about it but they hid it whenever Thalia was around. She'd even noticed that sometimes her mommy would listen in and not shut them up or tell them that they were wrong. Aunty Thalia also looked sadder than usual and would spend more time alone unless Atalanta joined her or now, Mira and surprisingly Umbra would keep her silent company. It made her sad to see her normally positive aunt like that but maybe Umbra could help her too. After all, he knew about that hero that her aunty called her brother, so maybe they could relate and help each other … but Umbra said that he would decide when to let Thalia know about him.

Soon the campfire songs finally ended and most of the hunters left to their tents without complaint. Atalanta for her part remained snuggled to Umbra and Mira with a blanket draped over them that Thalia had brought specifically for them since this wouldn't be the first time they simply stayed out and slept under the stars together. Atalanta occasionally opened an eye to peak around but saw that all the lights for the hunter tents were off which meant everyone was asleep. She then checked to see if Mira and Umbra were awake but nearly shrieked when two pairs of eyes were trained on her with clear amusement.

' _Did you know you fidget a lot when you're antsy or excited?'_ Umbra asked with a wolf smirk.

"Someone wants to talk about something," Mira whispered with wagging eyebrows.

Atalanta faintly blushed in embarrassment but soon enough nodded. Silently the trio got up before both girls got onto Umbra's back since he was perfectly silent when he wanted to be and in the darkness not even her mommy could track him much to her displeasure. Soon they were a fair distance from the camp allowing them to talk regularly and Atalanta noticed that the moon wasn't over them yet and wouldn't be for a few hours. Something in her gut told her that it wouldn't be good if mommy saw them speaking. She then glanced at Mira and Umbra only to see them patiently waiting for her to speak.

"Umm …" she started as her feet shuffled nervously. "So … I … um, have something to tell you both."

Mira raised an eyebrow while making a 'continue' motion with her hand.

"So, I've been having these … nightmares," she whispered as she looked at them. "And … sometimes it's a man and woman that I don't know. They were screaming and … bloody. All I hear is the screaming and someone laughing but that's it. Then, sometimes it's a dream where I see this boy with sea green eyes looking at me … but I don't know him either."

As she spoke both Umbra and Mira gave her a sad look before Mira sighed. She then glanced at Umbra before turning back to her. "I think its best you and Umbra speak about this in private. I'll be nearby so shout if anything but otherwise, excuse me."

And with that, Mira walked off, out of the clearing and into the shadows of the forest while Umbra approached Atalanta until he was just a few inches away.

"So," he started, using his actual voice to let Atalanta know that this conversation was serious. "Would you like me to explain the nightmares … or show you?"

"What?" she asked nervously. "Did you know about them?"

"Not that you were having them but … I've dealt with something similar," he answered with a tired sigh. "And they aren't nightmares but memories. You're trying to remember something from your past that was taken away … but I can help it all come back."

"Y-you can?" she asked.

"Yes but it will change everything about your life and it will hurt … but know that I will always be here for you," Umbra replied as his snout inched closer. "So … are you ready?"

She looked at him hesitantly, wondering on what to do. What did he mean that it would change her life? Would it take her mommy and Thalia away? She didn't want to lose them but at the same time, she wanted to know what happened in her past. Who were those people that felt so important to her? She had to know, regardless of what might change … but at least Umbra is with her. So she nodded and watched as Umbra closed the distance so that his snout was touching her forehead.

There was a faint glow before she suddenly felt a head splitting headache, making her knees buckle as she slammed her eyes shut and screamed. All the images and nightmares suddenly assaulted her again but this time in clarity …

* * *

She was sitting up in what looked like a crib. She was gurgling and squirming around until a light turned on and a beautiful woman with eyes and hair like her appeared. She gave her a warm smile and cooed at her, making her baby self giggle and reach out with her hands to the woman … no … her real mommy.

She could feel it in her bones that this was her true mommy, not _Lady_ Artemis. Her mommy was about to pick her up when there was a shout from somewhere outside the room making her mommy start as she turned around calling a name that she didn't catch. Her mommy left to check but soon ran back with terror in her eyes. She was about to pick her up when she cried out in pain and fell short of the crib … a silver dagger imbedded in her back. Her baby self started to cry as a familiar 12 year old with auburn hair appeared, her hands bloody as she looked down at her mommy with contempt.

At the sight Atalanta felt her heart break at the betrayal and lies revealed to her. Umbra was right, everything would change with these memories and it hurt so much. How could she even think to look at Artemis or any of her hunters after this, how could she even stay? Did Thalia know any of this? All those thoughts raced through her head and she continued to watch with growing dread.

She walked past her sobbing mommy and picked up her baby self, not caring how much she was crying, before glancing back at her mommy as she bled out. She grimaced before walking out with her baby self and entered a living room. There she saw another familiar child of Ares sitting on who she knew to be her daddy's stomach, slowly dragging a dagger across his face as he screamed. She also noticed that his waist was bleeding profusely and it looked like his legs were broken.

Artemis exchanged some words with Phoebe before pointing to where her mommy was. Phoebe nodded with a smirk and then, in a flash of silver, they were gone. Then the scene changed into the ones from Atalanta's dreams. This time she was in her mommy's arms as she smiled down at her and now, Atalanta could hear her.

"My little baby," her mommy cooed in such a warm tone that it made Atalanta's heart ache with want. "This is your big, goofy brother." She turned her as she said that and Atalanta saw the boy with sea green eyes looking at her with a huge smile. Soon she was in his arms as he looked at her with love and care, making her giggle happily as she touched his face with her chubby hands.

"Hey little sis," he said in a gentle voice as he looked at her, "I'm your goofy brother … and my name is …"

* * *

"… Percy," she whispered as she opened her eyes after the pain settled.

She looked up at Umbra as he watched her. "I have a big brother and his name is Percy."

"Yes … he is," Umbra said softly as he lowered his head to be closer to her. "… and he is the hero Thalia talked about … the lost Hero of Olympus."

"But … why'd he leave me?" she asked as tears started to build in her eyes. "Didn't he want me? He just left me after Artemis took me and killed our parents."

"He was forced to," Umbra explained sadly. "He couldn't do much at the time and if he tried to fight the Hunt, it would have been too easy to get you hurt … so he left but swore to get you back when he was ready."

"But … I want him here now!" she shouted as the tears fell. "I don't want to stay with those murderers! Why can't he just come back!?" she cried as her tiny hands balled into fists. "… I want my brother!"

She started crying her heart out as tears blurred her vision, her chest throbbing with the pain of the betrayals. All she wanted now was Percy. Umbra said he swore to come back for her and it was the only hope left for her, otherwise she would run away. She couldn't even think about returning to that camp of murderers. Maybe only two had a hand in her parent's death, but that didn't erase their crimes against others throughout the years.

"… he's already here," Umbra's voice cut in, making her crying abruptly stop in surprise.

"What?" she asked as she looked at Umbra through her tears.

She watched as Umbra stepped back before the shadows condensed over him, his form changing into that of a human. The shadows dispersed to reveal a tall man dressed in a cloak of darkness with his hood pulled up but even with that she could tell he was very fit and muscular. He stepped closer and kneeled before her as his hood was pulled back to show her his face. She gasped as she recognized his features, even if his once sea green eyes had changed to swirls of black fire with glowing, icy blue pupils that looked at her with the same love and care that her brother had.

"P-Percy?" she choked out as a spark of hope ignited in her chest.

"Hello … Andromeda," He replied as he cupped her cheek and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "… I came back for you."

Andromeda, her true name. And her brother was right there before her. She didn't even hesitated as she dived at him, hugging his neck like a life-line as she cried into his shoulder. His strong and warm arms wrapped around her as he soothed her with soft words. She'd never felt so whole before, safe within her brother's embrace, her true family. She didn't want to let him go so she tightened her grip and nuzzled into his neck as her sobs died down.

But sadly, it seemed that the Fates were not being kind as she heard the familiar sound of an arrow being notched joined with a scream, "What the Hades is going on here!?"

Andromeda turned in time to see Phoebe release her arrow straight at her but before she could so much as make a sound, Percy's hand shot out and caught the arrow between two fingers. He kept one of his arms wrapped protectively around her as he glared at her, his hood suddenly pulled back up with his eyes glowing ominously within the shadow of it, making the normally stubborn hunter step back in fear even as she kept another arrow aimed at them.

"I knew keeping you would be a mistake," Phoebe sneered after regaining some courage. "And who are you, _boy_!?"

Percy didn't even bother to answer her as he looked down at Andromeda with soft eyes before speaking gently, "Head to the edge of the clearing. Mira is waiting for you to take you away from here."

"What about you?" Andromeda asked as she clutched onto his coat.

"I'll meet you in a special place a little later," he replied before he kissed her on the forehead. "Now go and trust me. I'm not leaving you this time or ever again."

"Promise?" she asked with wet eyes.

"Pinky promise," he replied while raising his pinky to her.

She looked at it before locking their fingers for a moment. Then, once they separated she hopped up to kiss him on the cheek before turning and running towards the edge of the clearing, Mira already in sight with a warm smile.

"Hey! You're not going anywhere!" she heard Phoebe shout with another arrow being loosed but as she glanced back she saw the shadows from a barrier between her and the arrow, making it bounce off and leaving her unharmed.

She soon reached Mira's side and glanced at her before asking, "What's Percy going to do to Phoebe?"

"Paying back a debt," Mira replied with a blank face.

She didn't need to say if for Andromeda to know she meant killing Phoebe … but even then she didn't want her brother to fall to the same thing as the hunters. She understood that it needed to be done but still … She looked back at Percy before shouting out, "Percy!"

He looked at her over his shoulder while Phoebe's eyes widened at the revelation.

"Please … make it quick."

Percy looked at her for a few moments before slowly nodding. She gave him a smile before turning to Mira, who placed a hand on her shoulder. Then, with a burst of shadow, they were gone …

* * *

Percy watched as they shadow traveled away before looking back at the still shocked Phoebe. ' _Oh Rhea, you're too good to me,'_ he thought with a smirk. He could feel the barrier she erected over them long before Phoebe showed up after Rhea _purposefully_ let her in. Phoebe had been watching them more than the other hunters, especially on the nights they stayed out together, so they knew the hunter would follow. Just to get a treat out of their sweet goodbye, Rhea had erected a barrier with several functions.

It suppressed all sound from leaving and made them blurry to the outside so not even Artemis would notice them if she happened to fly over them. As an added precaution no prayers would escape so Phoebe was effectively stranded … and she didn't even know it. The only other way Artemis could be alerted would be when a hunter dies or breaks the oath. Percy didn't have any interest in the second method … but the first would do after he made sure she'd suffered enough. Let it be known that, that was the only time he would willingly lie to his little sister. Phoebe had too much to pay for to get a swift death.

"So, little hunter, what shall we do with you?" he asked as he let darkness seep off his frame.

"It's not like you could do anything _boy_!" Phoebe shouted with another arrow aimed at him. "And once my lady arrives we'll finish off your damn family. I'll make that little bitch scream like I did her father."

"Oh you do not know when to cut your losses," Percy growled as his fists clenched. "Too bad for you."

Before she could say anything else he surged forward, closing the distance in a blink of the eye. She gasped at his sudden closeness but didn't react fast enough as his hand reached out and grasped her wrist. With a smirk he twisted, snapping her bones like twigs as she screamed to the high heavens and dropped her bow. He maintained his smirk as he used his free hand to backhand her across the mouth, blood splattering out along with a broken jaw.

"Come on little huntress. Is _this_ all you can do? Gang up on helpless mortals and children to assure yourself just because you were a sorry disgrace to your father? And that is big considering he's little more than a godly shit stain," he mocked as he tossed her across the field.

She rolled like a rag doll until she landed on her back, tears already streaming down her cheeks but Percy wasn't placated in the slightest. He slowly stalked to her as she tried in vain to crawl away while sobbing, the smell of piss already tainting the air.

"Too easy," he muttered as he raised his hand.

At his whim, spears of shadows shot up from underneath Phoebe, piercing her through her arms, shoulders, shins, and thighs as she screamed again through her broken jaws. He twisted his hand, the shadows copying him until Phoebe was turned to face him, held spread eagle before him.

"You say you hate males yet I've met few of his children that are such embodiments of him. You take the cake really and I have no doubt that if you had been born male, you would have been a serial rapist and murderer of the worst degree. Funny. Maybe even the Fates didn't want to allow a monster like you to reach full potential," he said as he stopped a few feet away from her. "Your time has come huntress and this will not be over quickly … I won't even let your soul go to the underworld. Oh no, I've taken the time to make a special place just for you and the other traitors in the worst recesses of Tartarus … Now then, let's get on with your one way ticket to hell."

With that he took his massive wolf form, towering over the sniveling and begging huntress. His lips pulled back into a vicious snarl that would terrify even the Fates before he lunged … and there was nothing more than broken screams and blood splattering …

* * *

 **Author's Rant: And with that, first blood is spilled ... What will happen next? Who knows ... okay, maybe I do but I'm known to be a troll at times so you've been warned! Review and let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	6. Another Heir

**Author's Note: I can feel the love man! Thank you to all my reviewers! Now then, onto another chapter. You want fluff and more? You get! On wards with the story!**

 **PS. You all are aware that since it is M rated there will be lemons, yes? Okay, just putting it out there but I will put warning and divisions for anyone wanting to skip the steamy times. I won't put warnings for nude scenes and brief glimpses of said activity though since they probably won't be that explicit on those bits.**

 **Disclaimer: Everything belongs to uncle Rick.**

* * *

Thalia woke up with a start when she heard a horrible scream. It was so full of pain and sadness that her hair stood on end as she jumped out of her bed and immediately ran out of the tent, completely ignoring the fact that she ran out in her sleepwear. Screw it! There was an emergency and if it meant running out in panties and a see through nightgown, then dammit she was going to do it. She'd only grabbed her knife while running towards the scream, most of the senior hunters were already running with her in similar states of undress, some armed with bows, others with knives as well.

They ran through the trees as quickly as they could but as they ran Thalia noticed that the moon seemed incredibly dim and that worried her. Soon they burst into a clearing and Thalia spotted Artemis, bawling like a baby while kneeing beside what looked like a body. Thalia and the others slowly creeped forward, shaken at the sight of their mistress looking so fragile.

"My Lady?" Thalia asked gently but Artemis didn't so much as react to her.

It was only after Thalia got close enough to really see the body that she understood why Artemis was like this.

" _Di Immortals_!" she nearly screamed as she covered her mouth and backed up.

Some of the others hunters close to her saw it as well and paled, one even stumbling back before throwing up. Others dropped to their knees in shock as their eyes remained nailed to the body and the youngest that just arrived started to cry.

There, before Artemis was Phoebe … or what was left of her. Her entire body had been mauled to pieces, literally. Her torso and waist had been separated with her intestines being the only thing connecting them. Her left leg was missing and the right only had some traces of flesh on it. As for her torso, it was even worse. Her ribs had been ripped open to show that her heart was missing and her throat had been torn open. Lastly were the odd signs of frostbite all over her body along with enormous bite-marks which probably came from a Hellhound. Even her blood looked like it had partially frozen over and her skin was a sickly blue with some streaks of black.

"W-what happened h-here?" one of the hunters, Mila, asked with trembling eyes as she looked around.

Artemis still didn't answer, only seeming to cry harder. Thalia understood why though. Phoebe had been her oldest hunter after Zoe died … and now she was gone too. Thalia slowly walked closer to Artemis while looking around wearily. They had no way of telling if what did all this was still around meaning they could all be in danger.

"My Lady … we need to get to camp … please," she whispered gently while laying a hand on the goddess' shoulder.

Artemis sobbed some more as she slowly turned while shifting into the form of a 5 year old, clinging onto Thalia for dear life. Thalia held back a sigh as she picked her up, Artemis crying into her shoulder, and started to walk back towards the camp. They would have to come back for the body later but for now, getting everyone in one location and safe was her top priority … while also taking care of a child at the moment.

Speaking of children, Thalia glanced around but didn't see Atalanta, Mira, or Umbra anywhere. She found that odd, knowing that they should have heard the scream since they were outside together when she draped that blanket over them before turning in herself.

"Kelly," Thalia called to one of the senior hunters, "can you find Atalanta and Mira for me?"

The hunter in question gave her a curious look before nodding and splitting off in the direction of Atalanta's tent as they arrived at the camp. Thalia on the other hand walked straight to Artemis' tent and brought the goddess to her bed. She was still clinging on so Thalia sat down with the goddess on her lap and trying to soothe her. It took a few minutes before Kelly ran in with a frantic look.

"Thalia!" she screamed, "they're gone!"

"What!?" Thalia snapped back, the crying goddess momentarily forgotten.

"Atalanta and Mira, they're gone!" Kelly answered in a panicky voice.

At hearing that her adopted daughter was gone as well Artemis started to cry harder and Thalia could even tell that the moon dimmed from the wavering darkness that seemed to get thicker.

"What about Umbra? Any sign of him?" she asked in growing concern.

Umbra was bigger than just about any Hellhounds she'd ever seen, including Mrs. O'leary, so it was unlikely anything got to him. Hell, was probably the most dangerous thing aside from Artemis within a mile of the Hunt's camp. And yet, now he was suspiciously gone along with the girl he'd been given to and Atalanta, someone who'd gotten awfully close to the new pair. The body also made it clear that some kind of K9 did it … and Umbra was suddenly gone. Thalia felt a shiver run down her spine as cold realization set in, her entire frame starting to tremble at the thought of what could have happened.

"Oh my gods …" she whispered as she rapidly paled. "… He could have killed anyone of us … and Mira brought him in right under our noses…"

With her own words she knew that the Hunt wouldn't trust any new arrivals. One seemingly innocent girl had brought a monster capable of killing any one of them and they foolishly allowed it. And worst of all, she knew that Umbra could stand mere inches from you in the darkness and you'd never know he was there. Never again would the Hunt feel safe in the forests and nights they called home …

* * *

Percy sighed as he felt the cold water run over his face and down his back, staining the dark marble bloody red. The marble in front of him was so clear he could see his reflection but right now he didn't want to see it.

He'd lost control. He was too new to having an animal form and all the instincts that came with it. He'd been prepared to torture her, maim her, break her until what little that remained of her sanity finally crumbled … but to feed off her while she was still alive? That was beyond what he'd wanted and it sickened him. How could he face his sister or Rhea with what he'd done?

He sighed in frustration as he turned off the shower, the last remains of the water on his body freezing over before falling off his now dry skin as he started to move out of the shower. He'd just gotten back after dropping off Phoebe's soul to Tartarus' prime torturers in the deepest parts of the Pit. Then he'd shadow traveled to the House of Night, their current lodgings, to get all the blood off his body. Every inch of his regular clothes, save for his cloak of pure darkness, had been caked in blood and gore to the point he had to simply dispose of them and get a new pair. Luckily his swords in their ring forms didn't get any form of stain even though he was pretty sure they had been coated in blood as well.

' _What a mess,'_ he thought as he dressed only in a pair of baggy sweat pants and stepped out of his bathroom. He glanced around his room, noting the large bed covered in silky, black sheets and pillows, the mahogany desk and dresser, and lastly a large book shelf filled with scrolls and books Nyx deemed necessary for his education of ancient history. The walls and floor were all made of glossy, black marble with no windows though the ceiling looked like the actual night sky with even his favorite constellations glowing in it.

He sighed as he stepped out of his room, not feeling like he could sleep anytime soon. ' _Maybe I should talk with Nyx or something,'_ he mused as he left into the long hall leading to the main foyer of the house. But as he was walking a door a few feet done from his own opened and out stepped someone he really didn't want to talk to right now … or more like he wanted to but didn't know how.

Rhea's goldish-hazel eyes locked onto his flaming black ones, neither speaking for what felt like an eternity. It felt so awkward that Percy was getting ready to turn around but Rhea stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder though he tried his hardest to not look her in the eyes.

"Percy," she said softly in her soothing voice, "You should see your sister … she needs you."

He noticed that she tilted her free hand to the door she'd just exited meaning that Andromeda was in their right now.

"Are you sure she needs a monster right now?" he asked bitterly as he looked down at his feet.

He heard her sigh but didn't look up, not wanting to see the disgust in her eyes that he knew was there. He was sure that she'd been able to sense what he did in her barrier before he finished off Phoebe and erased it himself. However, her next words left him shocked.

"You're not the only one," she said, making his head snap up to look at her sad and regretful eyes.

"W-what?" he stuttered out.

"You're not the only one … who's lost control in their animal form," she answered hesitantly. Seeing his look of confusion she continued on. "As you know, my sacred animal is the lioness. Well, most gods and titans don't take on the form of their sacred animal because they retain instincts and features of them."

"You mean?"

"Mhm," she nodded before pulling back her lips to show him a pair of fangs he'd never noticed before just like his own. Then she let her lips back down as she spoke. "When I assumed my form … I lost control for three days and in that time … I … I …" Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she looked at him. She took a shaky breath before continuing, "I've got the blood on innocence on my hands because I lost control and there is nothing I can do to take it back. So if you're a monster for losing control once on someone who deserved the punishment … then what am I?"

She started to full on sob now as Percy looked at her in shock at this revelation. Rhea, the kindest of the peaceful Titans, had committed a worse degree of murder than him. But … she was one of the sweetest and most forgiving people he knew. Besides, it wasn't like she was in control when it happened so why should she blame herself.

"You're not," he found himself saying before he could even think.

She stopped sobbing to look at him in surprise as he gently cupped her cheek and rubbed away her tears.

"You are not a monster so never call yourself that," he said with conviction as he stared into her beautiful eyes.

"But … I …"

"No. What's passed is in the past. Right here, right now, I don't see a monster but a strong, beautiful, caring, loving, smart, and gentle woman who's helped keep me sane through decades of torturous training and helped me stay positive," he said to her, their faces so close that their noses were practically touching

"Really?" she asked softly, looking remarkably fragile right now and depending on his words, could break like a glass sculpture.

"Yes, every word of it," he replied without hesitation.

They stared into each other's eyes, a torrent of emotions passing through them. Then, driven by sheer instinct, he closed the distance and kissed her. She let out a squeak of surprise but soon enough returned the kiss, melting into his embrace. Her hands found their way to his hair as he pulled her by her waist, her chest pressed up against his. Then he felt her lower lip slip in between his and he nibbled it slightly, earning a delicious whimper from her. That sound made him growl as his hunger for her increased yet something in the back of his mind was telling him that now wasn't the time for this so reluctantly, he pulled back. He caught the tiny, disappointed whine coming from Rhea but he resisted tasting her again.

They kept their foreheads together though as they looked at each other, finally noticing the love in each other's eyes after years of walking on egg shells around each other. He grinned a little and she smiled in return before she spoke.

"Go, your sister still needs you right now."

"Okay but ah … what are we now?" he couldn't help but ask as he stared at her.

"Hmm … we can talk about it later," she replied before pecking him on the lips. "Though calling you my boyfriend sounds nice."

With that she took a step back and turned before walking away, Percy's eyes remaining glued to her figure as she turned a corner and was finally out of sight. He sighed as he looked up at the dark ceiling, now feeling a tiny amount of regret for what he did. Yes, he liked Rhea, maybe even loved though he wasn't going anywhere near that word anytime soon … not after what Annabeth did. But still, he was happy and yet, he couldn't help but remember a pair of warm, orange eyes looking at him. He knew he liked Hestia as much as Rhea before and with the time the two have spent together, his heart as grown a place for Rhea but then, what did it mean for Hestia?

He was so confused and his new wolf instincts were not helping dammit! He sighed in frustration before remembering his sister and turning towards the door beside him. He noticed for the first time that there was a little gold plank that read ' _Andromeda'_ on it. He smiled at the thought of her finally being here with him. He silently opened the door and stepped in the dimly lit room to see Andromeda sleeping soundly in a bed similar to his, only with light blue sheets rather than black like his.

He slowly walked closer before kneeling next to the bed and tucking a hair behind her ear, looking at her peaceful face. He gently stroked her head as he watched her sleep, promising to himself to always keeping her safe and happy like his mother would have wanted him too.

"We'll always be a family … Andy," he whispered before kissing her cheek lightly.

He stood and was about to turn to leave but then a tiny hand gripped his own. He looked in surprise to see that Andromeda wasn't asleep but looking at him groggily.

"Don't … go … please," she said in a pleading tone. "… stay … with me."

He looked at her for a moment before giving her a warm smile as he nodded. He got under the sheets with her and she instantly cuddled up to him, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. He willed the room to darken fully before kissing the top of her head.

"I love you Percy," Andromeda mumbled before she fully passed out after her long day.

"Love you too Andy," he replied as he closed his eyes, the smile never leaving his lips …

* * *

"Percy … Percy … Percy!" was whispered into his ear.

"Hmm," he grumbled as he opened one eye to see who was trying to wake him up.

He found Rhea leaning over him with a faint smile.

"Come on sleepy head. You need to get up," she continued while poking his cheek.

He grumbled a little more but didn't try to go back to sleep. Instead he slowly sat up, noticing the little body still cuddled up to him with a familiar head of brown hair. He smiled at the sight as he got up, his sister complaining in her sleep even as he adjusted to holding her in his arms. Her head remained on his shoulder as he walked after Rhea and headed towards the kitchen for breakfast. During the walk Andromeda finally woke up though she was still groggy and held onto him.

They arrived to the spacious kitchen in a few minutes, Percy handing over Andromeda to Rhea before the pair sat down on a stool next to the island in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen was rather large, with black marble surfaces and stainless steel appliances. Large gas stove top and oven, double-decker fridge, and every sort of cooking utensil one could need. In other words, Rhea's playground. Though with his improved cooking skills thanks to Hestia's blessing and Rhea's teachings, Percy was a frequent user as well.

Soon enough he got to work making chocolate chip pancakes—blue, no other way—with eggs, bacon, and some sausage. As the smell of food wafted through the air Andromeda was fully revived, drooling from her spot on Rhea's lap as both watched him move back and forth around the kitchen. He smirked at her before quickly platting their food for them and serving himself. He decided to eat while standing across from them, occasionally making funny faces at Andromeda to make her giggle. Once the food was finished they remained in a comfortable silence until Andromeda started to fidget while glancing at Percy.

"What's on your mind Andy?" he asked as he took their finished plates.

Andromeda looked at her hands nervously before shyly asking, "Big brother … what are you exactly?"

He raised an eyebrow at the question before glancing at Rhea. She shrugged at him before giving him a 'go on' gesture.

"Hmm … well, I'm a primordial now … well almost," he answer but it didn't seem to clear up any confusion for her. He sighed as he grabbed a knife and pricked his finger with it. Ichor started to flow out with tiny specks of red in it, a sign of the last dregs of his mortality. "See? Once I claim my domains I'll be a full primordial but until then, it is still possible for me to die in combat."

"Wow …" Andromeda said in awe as her eyes glimmered at him. "My big brother is so cool!" she shouted in glee making Percy and Rhea laugh.

"Rhea too you know," he added making Andromeda gasp as she looked at the sheepish goddess.

"I'm like Percy," she said. "I'm an heir to a domain but I haven't claimed it yet so I'm not a full primordial either but since I was a Titan, I'm fully immortal."

"Wow … you're both so powerful," Andromeda murmured as she looked between them.

"Hehe … I guess," he replied while rubbing his neck.

He was about to say more but then the shadows condensed beside him before Nyx stepped out of them, spooking Andromeda a bit but Rhea quickly reassured her. Nyx looked between the three before smiling warmly at Andromdeda.

"Hello there Andromeda, my name is Nyx," she introduced herself making Andromeda gape like a fish.

"H-hi," she returned the greeting which was obviously too adorable for Nyx because the next second she was squealing and pinching Andy's cheeks.

Percy stride to stifle his laughter as Andromeda tried to escape Nyx with no such luck until Rhea finally came to her rescue after a good five minutes. Once they got settled Rhea offered to take Andromeda exploring around the house (without taking her near the horrors that would drive any mortal insane of course). Andromeda seemed reluctant but after a nod from Percy and a promise that he would join them later, she left. With the pair gone Percy turned to Nyx, knowing that she came to discuss plans along with meeting Andromeda in person.

"So, what can I do for you Nyx?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Well," she started as she sat down on one of the stools. "With Andromeda here, one, well two of my siblings wants to talk to you about her."

"Who?" Percy asked suspiciously.

Instead of answering Nyx just waved to the space beside her. In a purple flash another primordial appeared. He was relatively tall at 6 foot'2 with platinum blonde hair and deep, purple eyes. Rosy and fair skin, a strong jaw line and a slim but athletic build. He was dressed in a sharp black suite with a pink dress shirt and purple tie. Lastly were his large, purple feathered wings folded against his back. There stood Eros, primordial of Love and Attraction … and he wasn't the only one.

Next to him was another man, a little shorter at 5 foot'11, with salt and pepper hair, dark pink eyes, and the slightest stubble adding to his attractiveness. He was dressed in a similar suit to Eros but his coat was open with a dark red button shirt, the top three buttons undone, and black trousers. On his back was a pair of dark pink, feathered wings. This was Phanes, primordial of Procreation and Desire.

The twin protogenoi looked at him somewhat nervously, their wings shuffling slightly as he waited for them to speak. He was already suspicious of anyone wanting something to do with Andromeda and the fact that it was these two primordial beings made him that much more protective of her. If he didn't like what they came here for, there would be Tartarus to pay.

"Well?" he asked in a sharp tone as he looked down at the two gods, darkness slowly wafting off his frame as he stared them down.

"Percy," Eros started as he tried to meet his gaze. "Before you do anything, know that we mean your sister no harm."

"Okay, and?" he persisted as he looked between the two. Phanes sighed before he spoke up.

"Like you being the heir of Nyx and Erebus, we would like for Andromeda to be the heiress of Love, Attraction, Desire, and Procreation."

"Why?" he asked has his eyes glowed with power and frost started to develop around him, his shadows growing thicker by the second.

"It's because she is like your mother!" Phanes blurted out as he took a nervous step back while looking at Eros to continue.

"Like my mother? In what way?" he asked, now more curious than anything as his shadows calmed down.

"Your mother was a mortal unlike any I've ever seen," Eros explained as he relaxed slightly. "She was strong both in heart and mind. She wasn't capable of hate against anyone regardless of who they were or what they did. Even to the end when she used Medusa's head to kill Ugliano, after suffering his abuses and knowing how he treated you but keeping her head down to keep you safe from monsters for as long as possible, she didn't truly hate him … but she knew it was the only way to be rid of him since no god could intervene in her behalf. She had the resolve to do what was needed but still kept her heart and mind open to all options. She was the epitome of love in the purest forms … and your sister inherited that heart. Even now, after discovering the truth, she does not hate the hunters or Artemis. She may not want anything to do with them and there is definitely anger in her … but no hate."

Phanes picked up next. "Your sister will correct the love of this world after everything that disgrace of a love goddess did … granted her very birth came from the betrayal of two lovers so can we really be surprised. Regardless, the world is flooded with lust, false love, and betrayals thanks to the Olympians, creating a cesspool of hate and misery in turn. That goddess has long since lost her way in her domain and it lead to some of the bloodiest wars in history."

"Her copulating with the war god and consistently having affairs with other Olympians, especially the married ones, didn't help," Eros added. "Things like hate, lust, and other such vices will never disappear as they are part of nature but right now the world is overrun with them. If you want to establish true peace in this world, the fundamentals of love must be restored."

"So please Percy," the twins said as one before shocking him by bowing to him, "Let us bless your sister so that she may become our heir."

Percy stood there, mouth gaping as he took in everything the two primordial beings said. He could have never thought that they would see his sister in such a light. Silence persisted for what felt like hours until Percy finally regained his bearings and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"You truly believe in her?" he asked softly as his shadows dissipated along with the frost.

"Yes," both replied immediately.

Percy looked at them intently for several minutes before glancing at the silent Nyx, wondering what her thoughts on this were. Seeing his look, she nodded firmly with a small smile on her face.

"Think of it as a guarantee for the two of you to be together forever," she said with a tiny smirk.

"True," he murmured before looking at primordial twins. "Fine. But only _if_ she agrees to it."

"Thank you," both replied with another bow and smile. "Now where is she? I was excited to meet the little bundle of joy."

"Right here," Rhea replied as she walked into the kitchen with Andromeda holding her hand and a stuffed wolf in her other arm.

Percy smirked a little, seeing as the stuff wolf Andromeda had looked exactly like him. ' _I wonder where they got that from though,'_ he mused as Andromeda looked at the two new arrivals nervously.

"Hey Andy," Percy said as he walked to her side and kneeled beside her to give her some comfort. "These two gods wanted to speak to you.

"Really?" she asked shyly as she looked at them.

"Yep," he replied while pointing, "That's Eros, primordial of Love and Attraction, and the other one is Phanes, primordial of Desire and Procreation."

Andromeda gasped as she learned who they were and soon both protogenoi gave her warm greetings. Once that finished Percy told her about what they wanted to give her and why. She seemed to be deep in thought for a while before she looked at Percy with big eyes.

"Does that mean I get to be strong and stay with you forever?" she asked in a hopeful voice.

"Yep," Percy replied with a big grin before she tackled him in a tight hug.

Once she finally let go she turned to Eros and Phanes before shouting excitedly, "Okay!"

Eros and Phanes chuckled before each placed a hand on one of her shoulders. She was surrounded in a mixed light of purple and pink before it faded to reveal her … and all the changes. Her face had somehow become irresistibly cute, with a round nose and slightly chubby cheeks. Her hair became a richer brown but, like him with the icy blue, her hair had purple and pink tips that reached a little past her shoulder. Her skin also gained a deeper shade of tan and even though she was still young, Percy could tell she was going to grow into an absolute bombshell the likes of which would put her in the same leagues of beauty with Rhea, Nyx, and Hestia in Percy's opinion.

But the most mesmerizing thing about her were her eyes. Her irises had purple borders that slowly got lighter until it turned into a bright blue near the center while her pupils became pink. All together she was already beautiful and cute at the same time and would only grow more so with time. Percy could already feel the warmth and love that she radiated around her, making everyone smile at her while Percy felt his brotherly desire to keep her safe and happy skyrocket.

"That is merely our blessings child," Eros said with a triumphant grin. "Soon you shall train and when ready, you will truly become our heir …"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Boom baby! Who saw that coming? I swear she is one of the only OC's I'm making for the story so bear with it. Any comments or thoughts? Let me know!**

 **Jbubu**


	7. Gathering the Fallen Pt 1

**Author's Note: Hello everybody and welcome back! Loving the reviews and feedback, helps me improve just for you all. And extra long chapter for you all (I won't be updating during Thanksgiving week so it'll have to do). Just for the sake of it I'll say that I know some of the characters will feel off but there are reasons for that so bear with me please. Now, without further delay, onward!**

 **Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Uncle Rick but the plot!**

* * *

 **3 Years Later (15 in Tartarus)**

Percy slowly opened his eyes as an annoying ringing was going off somewhere to his left. He turned his head in that direction and spotted the damned alarm clock marking it as 7:30 in the morning. He sighed as he looked at it and willed a hand of shadow to press the snooze on the infernal device. ' _Why did morning have to come so soon?'_ he grumbled before he tried to get up … key word, tried. He glanced down to see two heads of brown hair on his chest, one tipped with pinks and purples while the other was a full, darker tone. He smiled as he leaned down and kissed each head before slowly sitting up while ignoring the whines of protest. He almost chuckled as one head reared up to pout at him, a pair of goldish-hazel eyes locking onto his orbs of black flames.

"Morning," he nearly chirped before pecking her on the lips.

That earned him a smile before she yawned as she threw her arms back and let the sheets fall off her. His eyes couldn't help but stray to her bosom barely hidden by her snug shirt. The sight only got better as she slowly crawled off the bed while giving him a prime view of her panty clad rear. He had to bite the inside of his lips to resist trying to cop a feel so he turned his head the other direction while muttering, "Rhea you tease."

"Hmm?" she hummed as she glanced back at him before giggling innocently. "Percy, what a naughty boy. Ogling your girlfriend while your sister is in bed with you … pervert."

Percy started choking on air while his face did an impression of a golden tomato, all the while Rhea started to laugh at him. Percy was about to fire a retort but then a tiny fist lightly hit his chest while its owner mumbled, "Too loud."

The couple looked at the offended 5 year old as she sat up from Percy's side, her purple and blue eyes looking at them with annoyance.

"Did we have to get up?" she asked with her infamous puppy dog eyes.

"Yes," both replied without looking at her eyes. They knew that if they looked they'd lose otherwise.

Andromeda whined while stuffing her face back into a pillow and trying to throw the blankets on but Rhea came up and pulled them away.

"No little missy. Today's a big day and you are not going to miss out on it when it's about you," Rhea said in a motherly tone as she picked up the child and headed to the bathroom, Percy watching in amusement as Andy gave a sigh of defeat. He never got tired of seeing how that pair interacted in these last couple of years. They'd bonded nearly as much as Percy was with his sister though at times the relationships were a bit odd due to a surprising ability Andy discovered days after getting the blessings of Eros and Phanes.

Since she was connected to pure love rather than the lustful version Aphrodite did to over the millennia, her abilities changed to reflect that. While Aphrodite would subconsciously alter her appearance to get the best chances of attracting who she wanted, Andromeda's appearance could change according to the types of love she felt or someone near her needed. With Percy and Rhea, she was usually in the form of a child, usually 5 to 8, and ended up getting treated like a daughter most of the time or turn into a teen and be their little sister. With Nyx and Tartarus she would look her actual age of 21 and be far more serious since it usually involved training.

With Eros and Phanes she would go through just about every age of development to adjust and understand the types of love and how they affected her or those around her. One shocking discovery that Eros made was that thanks to Andromeda sneaking into Percy and Rhea's bed so often, during the night time in the mortal world sibling and motherly love would increase thanks to Percy and Rhea's connections to their domains. That alone made Eros and Phanes ecstatic that they chose Andromeda to be their heir … which she was going to become today.

As for Percy, he was also focused on the thoughts of Rhea. Fifteen years of awesome dating with plenty of kissing, cuddling, and heavy petting. After all that time together, training and simply getting to know each other to the point neither kept a secret from each other (save for one), he could safely say that he loved her … and was pretty sure Andromeda knew since she always snickered at them and winked when Percy looked at her. Still, he hadn't been able to actually say it since there was one thing holding him back and those were his thoughts on Hestia. His heart still yearned for her as well.

It was the only thing he feared bringing up with Rhea … but he knew that he needed to tell her soon. ' _For another time though,'_ he thought as he got out of bed and quickly changed into his usual black leather jeans, muscle shirt, steel toed boots, and hooded cloak of darkness. His blades in ring form on each index finger was his last piece before his attire was complete and all he had left was to wait for Andromeda and Rhea. ' _Why those two always prefer morning showers, I'll never know,'_ he mused as he sat of his bed and looked around his joint room with Rhea.

They'd move in together after 5 years of dating and the décor hadn't really changed much aside from Rhea choosing gold sheets rather than black and a vanity for her beside his desk and bookshelf. He waited around for another 20 minutes or so before both ladies stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed. Rhea had her knee-length black dress with golden trimming, a gold with green trimmed sash around her waist, Greek styled sandals, and her hair pulled into a braid over one shoulder. In one word, Percy thought she was gorgeous without a speck of make up on her face.

Next to her was Andromeda, looking her actual age now. She stood almost as tall as Rhea at 5 foot'8 with a voluptuous figure fitting of a demi-primordial of love, her long hair spilling over her shoulders and down to her mid back in waves. She was dressed in a similar attire to him. She had on a long sleeved red shirt with a black corset top over it making her bust look even bigger than it already is, black and purple plaid skirt that reached mid-thigh, and thigh-high, Tartaren steel toed, high heeled leather boots. All of it came together with a black cloak meant to mirror his coat of darkness … just not as cool.

' _Good thing every male around here is either taken, interested in someone else, dead, or Tartarus,'_ Percy thought, knowing his sister's looks could give immortals heart attacks. Thank Chaos that her personality wasn't anything like Aphrodite. He shuddered at the thought.

"So, ready to go?" he asked as he got up and gave Rhea a quick kiss.

"Yep," she chirped back as Andromeda snickered at them while walking out first.

Percy took Rhea's hand as they followed after her. They made quick work of exiting the House of Night and entered a rather nice courtyard … as far as Tartarus can go anyways. It was decorated with obsidian statues of famous heroes and monsters alike, flowers made of shadows and ice curtesy of both Percy and Nyx's efforts, and a large, pure white oak tree in the center. Standing by the oak was Eros, Nyx, Phanes, and Tartarus as they watched Andromeda approach, her gate becoming nervous as she got closer.

Once she stood before them and Percy and Rhea stood a bit to the side, they began, "Andromeda Jackson … are you ready to become a primordial heir?" they said in unison.

Andromeda looked around before her eyes fell on Percy, looking for the last bit of courage needed to do this. He gave her a firm nod of support and she smiled back before she looked straight at the protogenoi before her.

"Yes," she said in a strong voice.

"Then begin!" commanded Eros as he stood at the center of the protogenoi.

Andromeda took a deep breath before speaking in a voice laced with power, " **I, Andromeda Xena Jackson, state my claim and right to being the heiress of Eros, primordial of Love and Attraction, and Phanes, primordial of Desire and Procreation.** "

With her words completed, Andromeda glowed a bright pink and purple, making everyone have to look away for a moment. Once the glow died down they looked again to see Andromeda standing there with a faint glow coming off her skin. Though what was new was a purple glove with a pink gem over the wrist on her right hand. ' _Most be her pure manifestation of power,'_ Percy thought as he glanced at his own cloak that left trails of darkness wherever he walked.

"Impressive," Eros said, breaking the silence, as he walked around Andromeda while inspecting her. "It truly seems that every new primordial that came from … lesser origins gains greater strength and potential."

"True," Phanes added as he also looked her up and down. "She almost feels as strong as us at our primes and she hasn't even claimed the domains for herself yet."

"Ah … thank you," Andromeda said while blushing thanks to the compliments.

"You're welcome," Nyx said as she glanced at Tartarus, "And we have a surprise for you."

"Really!?" Andy asked excitedly to which Tartarus responded by bringing a wrapped package from under his cloak.

He handed the gift to the hopping primordial heiress who eagerly started to tear the wrapping off. Soon her gift was revealed and she gasped at the sight while Percy whistled in appreciation. It was a pair of two foot knives, the one blade being purple while the other was pink with fine, nearly unnoticeable serrations running the length with a Tartaren steel guard and leather grips. Andromeda looked at them in awe before giving a devilish smirk as she spun them in her hands like a true master of knives and short swords.

Percy would know, he helped train her. Even Artemis, with her millennia of using knives, didn't compare to Andromeda now since Andy had spent the last 15 years brutally training to fight other intelligent, significantly stronger combatants rather than just chasing after monsters. Hell, his sister's reflexes were nearly on par with his and she was definitely as fast though he still won out in overall skill and strength. He had no worries now about her getting into a fight with an Olympian … or several for that matter.

Andromeda then started doing several practiced maneuvers, the knives singing in her hands at her effortless movement. After a few moments Nyx clapped her hands to get her attention.

"As exciting as it is to see you playing with the blades, I believe there is more to show you," she said making Andy's eyes widen in excitement.

"Try bringing the butt ends together," Phanes suggested with a barely hidden smirk.

Andromeda looked at him funny but did as he instructed. At their joining the grips seemed to fuse together as each blade grew to double the length while curving slightly. Then, a string of glowing purple energy appeared between the ends to form a completed bow.

"What!?" Andromeda shouted as she gawked at the new bow in her hands.

"You like it?" Eros asked to which Andy nodded numbly. "Good. Tartarus took one feather from Phanes and I for the blades and one hair from you too make the string before forging it with Tartaren steel. Like Percy's _Sin_ and _Purgatory,_ only you or those you allow can wield your weapon which undoubtedly will become your symbol of power."

"Awesome!" Andromeda squealed in delight, momentarily shifting into a kid again before returning to normal.

Percy chuckled at his sister's enthusiasm before Eros cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Well, why don't I get showing you some perks of being connected to our domain?" he asked to which she eagerly nodded.

Eros smiled as he walked off to the side with Andromeda and Phanes in toe, Rhea being dragged along by Andy in her excitement. Percy stepped beside Nyx and Tartarus as he watched in amusement while Eros started to explain about how to 'feel out' the domain and its focus. Then he felt Nyx poking him in the side to get his attention, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"Hey Percy …" she said a little too sweetly, "I was wondering something …"

"… Yes?" he asked suspiciously as he glanced around for any shadows moving oddly.

"Andromeda is really pretty, right?" she asked randomly.

"Of course," he answered while wondering where she was going with this.

"And you want her to always be beside you, right?" she continued on making his eyes narrow.

"Okay, what's up?" he finally asked, knowing that with Nyx it is always best to bite the bullet.

"Oh nothing it's just that I've noticed how close you two are, with her sneaking into your bed all the time with even Rhea accepting it, and all," she said as she played with her hair while smirking slyly at him. "And you know us Greeks … me and Erebus, Ouranus and Gaea, the dramatic duo currently in power … I was just wondering …" Nyx trailed off with a suggestive wiggle of the eyebrows while glancing at Andromeda.

Percy followed her line of sight before looking back and forth, his eyebrows furrowed in thought before they shot up and his eyes widened in realization. Nyx started to giggle in his face while Tartarus (totally forgot he was listening in) chuckled dryly with his red eyes glowing in amusement under his hood.

"Wow, wow, wow!" he shouted while waving his hands in a 'back it up' motion. "Is my name Jamie Lannister? No! I love her, sure, but not like that!"

"And what if she feels that way?" Nyx asked with that damned smirk.

"We both know that her form shifts to the kind of love she feels when completely relaxed or asleep. If that was the case she'd wake up as an adult with me," he retorted while quelling his racing heart. Nyx nearly gave him a heart attack with her thoughts dammit! Is she trying to kill her own heir before he can even claim the domains?

"True …" Nyx conceded before she suddenly went 'aha!' while taping her fist into an open palm. "What about Hestia? Are you going to talk to Rhea about it?" she asked in a whisper.

Percy gave her a troubled frown as he thought about it. Of course he wanted to tell her … but he was scared to see how she would react. Would she be angry? Disgust? Feel betrayed or cheated? He would do anything to spare her that kind of pain but letting it linger would only hurt more in that end. He sighed as he mentality kicked himself to man up about it. He looked at Nyx with firm eyes before answering.

"I'll tell her after I get back. I do love her and she deserves to know …"

Nyx looked at him intently for a few tense seconds before a soft smile appeared on her face.

"You really have grown into a fine man," she said fondly while caressing his cheek. "I know things will pan out as they should, no Fates meddling in this time. Just trust her with the full truth and who knows … you might be in for a surprise."

"Thanks," he said softly as he leaned into her touch.

He'd never really said it but Nyx had become like his mother throughout the years he's spent with her. Tartarus and the other protogenoi like odd uncles and aunts. It was a family, a quirky one, but a family nonetheless.

"Good, now getting going while the night is young," she said as she got on her 'aloof commander' face on making him chuckle. He nodded and was about to shadow out but stopped abruptly as he heard a sharp gasp.

Him and Nyx snapped their heads to see Andromeda on her knees with Rhea kneeling beside her in worry. Percy and Nyx were by their side in an instant, scanning over Andromeda for any signs of injury but nothing was wrong. However, Percy noticed that Andromeda was silently crying while starring at the ground.

"Andy?" Percy asked softly as he tapped her shoulder.

She gasped as she turned to look at him before launching herself at him and hugging onto his neck, shifting into a child form and crying all the while. Percy held her while looking at the others in confusion. He noticed that neither Eros nor Phanes looked surprised but rather, a sad and almost resigned expressions.

"What happened?" he asked softly as he ran his hand through Andromeda's hair while Rhea rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Eros sighed while running a hand through his hair. "It's her connection to her domain. She tried it out for the first time … and obviously didn't like what she found."

"Where did she look?" Percy asked, knowing that at first they could only focus on one area until their connection grew once they claimed their domains.

His connection was already enough to get a general sense of the continental United States at night and in clear detail within a mile radius of his focus or if he's actually in the mortal world.

"She picked New York … the area around the Empire State specifically," Phanes answered.

Percy grimaced at the thought, getting an idea of just what 'love' she found there. He looked down at his sister as she finally stopped crying but kept her head resting against his chest while sniffling slightly.

"Andy, are you okay?" he asked gently making her look up at him.

"Big brother," she said softly as she looked at him with her mesmerizing purple and blue eyes. "It … it … was horrible. So much lust mixed with broken love, betrayal … and hate. It was so vile … like swimming in drakon intestines."

Percy shuddered at the description. That happened to him once. Don't ask … Nyx could be a bitch of a trainer by the way.

"But the worst part was the focus of procreation and lust … completely devoid of actual love. Someone there was thinking of making more babies but not to love them like a parent. Just have them for … trophies. Memories and proof of who _she_ slept with."

"Her?" Percy asked only for Eros to answer.

"Aphrodite," he spat in disgust.

Percy growled at the name of the mentioned goddess. Of course it had to be her, who else? In his years here several of the protogenoi had explained to him what they'd seen that made them come together to decide on finding heirs and moving on. Their disgust with the ruling gods and the state of the world had finally proven too much for them to truly remain on the side lines yet they knew their time was past. It was up to the next generation to fix the wrongs … and Eros had explained in detail just what Aphrodite had truly thought of his 'love' with the spawn of Athena.

Turns out while his was genuine, Aphrodite had pushed Annabeth's friendship beyond platonic forms to amuse herself and also get back at Athena for being a maiden goddess. Of course that had changed when he proved to be such a hero that she herself had begun to want him. To _claim_ him. He had become a prized buck in her hunting game and keeping Annabeth interested would have only gotten in the way so she stopped meddling and allowed Annabeth's true emotions out … not that they were any better than the fake ones.

Turns out the blonde girl he'd met when he first arrived, the one who saw herself as above others thanks to her 'wisdom', who sought the attentions of those in the spotlight such as Luke had been as the best swordsman at the time, were her real 'romantic' ambitions. He even learned who had helped her 'relieve' the stress when she was 'desperate' to find him. He knew seeing Apollo looking so happy at her godhood had been odd. Well, another reason to toss said god into the deepest pit of darkness he could create.

Still, his thoughts returned to Aphrodite and how she seemed to only care about the children that did something noteworthy … otherwise she cared nothing for them. Piper had become her golden girl while the rest of her cabin laid forgotten. Hell, the worst bullies of Aphrodite's cabin had always been their own siblings with how, 'unless they learn to break a heart, they aren't worthy to be her children,' and such. Piper had brought out a loving, nearly forgotten self of the goddess … but she was only one daughter and it was only a matter of time before Aphrodite returned to her ways … and it looks like it happened recently judging by how Andromeda reacted to her presence.

' _It's like every Olympian is personally giving me a reason to skin them alive in particular,'_ he thought as he looked at his sister's face and grew worried. Before she'd looked shocked and scared but now, there was only anger and disgust. He didn't resist as she pulled out of his arms and stood up, shifting into her adult form as she looked at Phanes and Eros.

"Am I powerful enough to curse someone like an Olympian?" she asked in a cold tone.

"Yes," Eros replied without hesitation. "But you lack experience so I would have to focus it for you."

Andromeda nodded before taking a deep breath and speaking in a voice laced with power. " **I, Andromeda Xena Jackson, curse Aphrodite to an eternity of sterility. May her womb become barren, her breasts forever dry, her ability to give new life in any form stripped, till the day she is nothing more than dust and ash.** "

A loud thunder crack sealed her curse as her body flashed with power. Percy looked in awe at his sister, marveling at what she just did to the goddess of love. To take away one of the key known aspects of that goddess … it was brutal. Percy was sure that it would drive the goddess insane and the only worse would have been taking her ability to have sex … could his sister actually do that? It seemed that Nyx had the same curiosity.

"Hey, why didn't you just forbid her from having sex or something?" she asked while tapping her chin.

Andromeda looked at her silently for a moment before answering, "I don't care about how much she sleeps around … I just won't allow new lives to be used like that. I could have taken away all her physical desires leaving her like a stone slab but that could get the Olympians too curious about how it happened. It should be a year or two before anyone notices something fishy."

"Now I know where most of their mother's brains went," Nyx said with a smirk while glancing at Percy.

"Hey!" he shouted indignantly much to her amusement. "I'm plenty smart."

"Yeah, after years of me teaching you to think on your feet and plan ahead and even then sometimes you rush in, guns blazing," Nyx chuckled back.

All Percy could do was pout at her, getting a giggled from not only Nyx but Rhea and Andromeda while Eros and Phanes chuckled at him.

"No support whatsoever," he grumbled for a few moments before he sighed as he looked at the group. "As much fun as horsing around like this is … I do believe I had a mission."

That got the group sober quick as they looked at him. This mission's importance could not be understated, as it could become the basis for some of their biggest possible allies. Sure, Percy would have preferred fighting this entire war himself, but even once he becomes a full primordial, he was still one man. He might be able to win in the end … but only after decades, possibly centuries of battle against the Olympians and their hundreds of allies. He would need his own forces … and it was time to start gaining some.

"Be safe Percy," Andromeda murmured as she hugged him quickly.

Rhea soon followed up with a kiss before pressing their foreheads together and whispering, "Come back in one piece."

"Hey, it's me we're talking about here," he replied with a smirk. "It's not like I'm going to start a war right now."

"Exactly," several voices answered him making him deadpan.

"Love the vote of confidence," he replied before pecking Rhea one more time and then, seamlessly dissolved into shadows as he left Tartarus.

' _I wonder if flashing will be any different to my shadow traveling,'_ he mused for the second or so it took him to leave Tartarus and arrive in the mortal world. He looked around his arrival, Mount Tamalpais, and noted the entrance to a certain garden. He smirked as he pulled his hood up, completely hiding his features aside from his chin and the glow of his eyes within the shadows. He closed up his coat as well, keeping even his body hidden and with the current night and shadows slowly seeping off him, he looked like a shade as he nearly glided along the ground.

His movement was soundless as he entered the Garden of Hesperides with a familiar tree and dragon in sight. He doesn't even bother giving it a second glance but soon stops as four girls materialize before them.

"Who are you?" one asked as they look him up and down.

"Just someone passing by," he answers in a deepened voice.

"To try and steal an apple, no doubt," a second one said with narrowed eyes.

"No need," he retorted while subtly turning one finger in a shadowed claw and pricking another finer with it before bringing the finger up to show the ichor. "I simply wish to speak with someone."

"And how do we know this isn't some sort of trick?" a third asked before the fourth continued, "We should report an unknown immortal to Olympus."

"Sorry," he said with a faint smile, "But I can't let you do that."

"Wha—"

She never got to finish her sentence as Percy rushed forward, driving a sucker punch into her gut. She coughed while doubling over before her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she slumped to the ground. Before the other Hesperides could react he continued his attacks with practiced precision. A sharp jab to the head of the second, before he flipped while driving his heel against the temple of the fourth. When he landed he dashed to the third, got behind her and grabbed her into a choke hold specifically limiting her blood flow to her head. She struggled in vain for several seconds but with the lack of air and proper blood movement, soon blacked out in his arms.

He set her down beside her sisters, chuckling softly before murmuring, "Mnemosyne, if you would?'

At his words a soft white glow surrounded the heads of the Hesperides, wiping their memories of encountering him.

' _Done!'_ a peppy voice chirped in his head making him smile.

Now that was one happy Titaness, it was no wonder that she was one of Rhea's favorite little sisters. When Mnemosyne and Andormeda got together, the atmosphere was so overly positive that Percy sometimes looked for Tartarus and tried asking him for jokes. Nothing was more depressing that his uncle's sense of humor and it was the perfect balance to his sister's antics. He shook his head at the thoughts before he continued on his way, easily making it past Ladon since they'd been too far for the dragon to properly hear without their being an explicit call for his name and Percy kept some distance from the tree just to be sure.

He soon made his way up to the top of the mountain, taking in the sights though they weren't really much to begin with. At one point he looked in the direction that he knew Camp Jupiter was and wondered how some of his old friends were? Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel had stayed there but with his disappearance, he hadn't really thought to check on them. He knew they were strong so he wasn't worried about them in that sense but he was just more curious to see how their lives were going.

He thought finally paying a visit sometime after he finished the mission, though he wouldn't be able to greet them … not yet anyways. ' _But if I made them choose … who would they side with in the war?'_ he wondered as he continued to walk. They were his friends and fought with him, sure, but at the same time three were loyal romans and Piper probably wouldn't do anything without Jason. Reyna was a most likely no as well but he could hope. ' _Thoughts for later then,'_ he mused as he arrived at his true destination.

He stood a few meters away from the person he sought out, Atlas, Titan of Strength and Endurance. He stood at a hulking 8 feet, body packed with dense muscle and lightly tanned skin. His hair was a yellowish blonde from the constant sun and his beard had grown shaggy from lack of care, his arms held up to lift the skies.

Percy observed the monument meant to serve as the powerful Titan's punishment with distaste. Many forget that the sky and earth were not originally meant to be connected like this but was done by the Olympians with the help of the Elder Cyclops. With the banishment of Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, and Koios, the Titan lords of the North, South, East, and West, the sky was naturally destabilized and so, this meeting point was formed to keep Atlas imprisoned … but Percy needed to destroy it. Balance needed to be restored … and adding Atlas to his ally side was a big plus if he managed it.

It brought a bitter taste to his mouth, helping him when it was thanks to him that Zoe died but then again, Percy had a plan for that as well. So, with that in mind he walked up to the weary titan and made himself known by clearing his throat. Atlas lifted his head up slowly to look at him, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Atlas," Percy began as he walked closer.

"Who are you?" Atlas asked in a tired voice as he shifted his shoulders slightly.

"One who has come with a deal," he answered, not wanting the titan to know his identity for now.

"A deal?" Atlas echoed with a bitter tone. "And what sort of deal could you offer me mortal?"

Percy chuckled at the titan thinking he was mortal. He really needed to thank Nyx for giving him that charm to hide his presence though it wouldn't work anymore once he ascended to being a full primordial.

"I offer freedom from your burden," he said, watching the titan's reactions.

"How …?" Atlas asked slowly as he looked him up and down. "You can't take the burden yourself without dying so what would be the point? And I doubt you have another god in reserve somewhere looking for a workout," he added with a scoff.

"Oh, I do plan on taking your burden … just not at this moment," he answered getting a surprised look from Atlas.

"Just … who are you?" Atlas asked suspiciously.

"Someone who will see Olympus fall," he answered darkly, his eyes glowing in agreement.

Atlas chuckled at his claim before saying, "Many have made that claim. What makes yours any different?"

"Oh I don't know …" he said with a shrug as the darkness and shadows around him started to writhe and move like hungry claws as frost spread from his feet, a modicum of his power and killing intent aimed directly towards the titan.

With satisfaction he noted that Atlas shivered slightly with a new unease in his stony grey eyes.

"Just … trust me on this," he said as he reigned his power in. "I will swear on the Styx to take your burden from you if you swear to follow the next order I give you to the letter once I free you. Deal?"

Atlas looked at him silently for some time, keeping his thoughts rather well hidden with a poker face and blank eyes. After nearly 5 minutes passed Atlas sighed as he nodded.

"Very well … I swear on the river Styx to—"

"Ah-ah," Percy interrupted with a raised hand. "Swear on the Styx … and your immortality …"

Atlas' eyes nearly shot past the crown of his own head as he looked at Percy incredulously. Percy just shrugged before saying, "Got to make sure you don't go back on your word in any way."

Atlas grit his teeth while looking at him before he nodded tersely. "One order, that's it?"

"Yep, one order from me," Percy replied easily.

"Fine, I swear to your terms," Atlas said and a thunder crack sealed his oath.

"Then I swear on the Styx to return and free you from your burden when the time is right," Percy replied with another thunder crack. "Whelp! Better get going, lots of people to visit after all."

He didn't wait for Atlas to answer before he dissolved into shadows again. He appeared in a dense forest near the borders of Canada on the state side in North Dakota. He sensed around him for the presence he hunted down several days ago but was surprised to find two this time … and conveniently both were people he was looking for. ' _Now this night is just getting better and better,'_ he thought as he walked towards them. It didn't take him long to arrive at a clearing, just outside the light of a campfire to see two _very_ particular women.

One wore a shawl to cover her hair and large sunglasses even in the middle of the night to hide her eyes, dressed in white dress that just reached her knees. Her frame was petite small, her form slouched over as she stared at the flames while speaking in hushed whispers with her companion. The other woman … or more like monstrous woman, had the lower body of a large, black scales serpent just below her hips. She had raven hair spilling over her shoulders and from Percy's view, he could see her bright blue eyes looking at the fire sadly as well. Her upper body was dressed in a tank top with a small jacket over it, a small bow and quiver strapped to her back.

' _Just who I was looking for … Medusa and Lamia,'_ he thought as he stepped close enough for both to notice him. With speed faster than most mortals could hope to move or react, both were up, their backs to the fire and Lamia had an arrow trained at him.

"Who are you?" Lamia hissed as she looked him up and down while Medusa kept one hand to her shades, ready to take them off in a moment's notice.

"A friend," he answered while wondering if Medusa would remember him and how he took her head last time. Maybe apologizing about that could help? Or maybe he could offer her a child of Athena to torture? Hell, he could probably get her _the_ Athena if he played his cards right.

"A friend you say," Medusa muttered as she watched him intently. "What are you? You smell like a demigod … only … different."

"True," Lamia agreed with narrowing eyes, "I can't place the scent either."

"I assure you I mean you no harm and you can trust me," he tried as he raised his hands to show he was unarmed … at the moment."

"Then show us your face," Medusa said.

"You first," he shot back making them both start in surprise.

"Y-you do realize who I am, don't you?" Medusa asked while pointing a finger at herself.

"Yes," he answered as if it wasn't a big deal.

Medusa and Lamia glanced at each other before Lamia shrugged while muttering, "Your funeral."

Medusa then removed her shawl and shades to reveal a face that Percy honestly found beautiful. Her coppery skin gleamed with the campfire behind her, her emerald green eyes glowed while her narrowed pupils gave her a semi feral air. As Percy stared into her eyes he felt the curse trying to affect him and it honestly hurt. Sure, her curse was powerful but not absolute, otherwise all she had to do was chance a glance with an Olympian and she would be their end. Athena wasn't stupid enough to give her that sort of power and in truth, any curse given by an immortal can only be as powerful as something below the immortal in question.

In other words, if Athena had given Medusa's curse the strongest potential, at best Medusa would have been a threat to anything of minor god power or lower, monsters included. Thanks to already having enough power to outdo several Olympians or Titans, the curse was only a painful annoyance at best. He felt like he'd been exercising for days without stopping while his muscles strained and at the same time he was moving through molasses. ' _Damn now this is a curse. Got to give lady 'wisdom' credit where credit is due,'_ he thought as he kept a grimace from his face.

Medusa and Lamia were looking at him in shock, having expected for him to turn to stone but obviously wasn't. Lamia had to also awkwardly keep her right shoulder up to avoid accidentally looking at Medusa. Seeing that Percy decided it was best to get her shades back on and get talking to the two. He willed a tendril of shadow to gently pick up the shades (which Medusa dropped in her shock) and brought it to her face. She looked at it dumbly before taking them and putting them on.

"Now can we talk?" he asked before glancing at the fire behind them.

"S-sure," Lamia said as she slowly lowered her bow and put the arrow away.

"One quick thing," he said and formed a wave of darkness that overlapped and snuffed out the fire without so much as a hiss much to the two lady's surprise. Only some moon light illuminated them now, much to Percy's distaste. "Now then, I have an offer for the both of you."

"And what would that be?" Medusa asked as she glanced at Lamia beside her, as if looking for reassurance considering her usual ace in the hole wasn't going to help her here.

"Freedom from your curses," Percy started as the two gasped at the thought, "and revenge for your suffering."

"That's an empty promise," Lamia said bitterly. "Not even the titans offered that during their little war. What makes you any different?"

"Well, for one I keep my promises," he retorted while crossing his arms. "And I'm not in any hurry. I can afford to use the energy necessary to free you both and even offer you a chance to get your revenge for the injustice of the gods."

Lamia and Medusa remained silent as they looked down while biting their lips. Percy knew that they were on the fence with this. They could say no and remain cursed forever, left as monsters that would be hunted by demigods or they could side with him in the hopes of being free. Knowing that they were close to agreeing, Percy gave them that final push.

"Medusa … you were once one of wisdom's most dedicated followers and a beauty beyond most mortals. That beauty lead to the ever lecherous sea god to forcing himself on you, after you rejected him, in your mistress' temple. What did your devotion get you? You were cast aside and cursed for something you didn't do and in her pride, she hasn't removed her curse or apologized for unjust punishment. Do you truly want to remain like this forever?"

At his words he could see some tears running down Medusa's cheeks as she hugged herself, probably recalling that very event. How he cursed the god he once called father as he looked at this. So many of the monsters demigods feared now were created by the Olympians and both made to suffer while the gods watched on. He then turned his attention to Lamia.

"And you Lamia, once a lover of the drama queen. You bore him children and his wife, in her jealousy, slaughtered them herself before cursing you while your lover remained silent about it. She knew you were a caring mother that adorned children so what better way to get to you than making you a child-eating monster? Isn't it time that she paid for this? That is what I offer both of you. Revenge but most importantly, freedom from your curses and the power to choose how you'll live the rest of your lives."

By now both were openly crying as they looked at him. He didn't need to see Medusa's eyes to know what was in them. The hurt and pain of betrayal, abandonment, and feeling powerless. Turned into the very abominations they once hated and all for the petty jealousy and grudges of the gods. He sighed as he slowly approached them before resting a comforting hand on each of their heads, much to their surprise.

"I think you've both suffered enough," he said softly. "So please, give yourselves a chance," he said as they continued to cry harder. In the heat of the moment Percy pulled them both into a light hug, both going ridged for a moment before relaxing in his embrace.

' _Andy was right,'_ he thought as he looked at the two as they continued to cry. His sister had visited the mortal world occasionally with Rhea and with her domains, had been able to find those whose hearts were in the most pain. She pointed both of these two out after a chance glimpse of them when they were running from being hunted by a band of demigods a year or so back. In the momentary close vicinity, she'd almost fallen over at the overwhelming pain held within them. She'd then come straight to him and Nyx and asked if there was any way to help them much to Percy's surprise.

In the end he'd told her he'd give it a try. And now here he was with both, comforting them for the first time after millennia of suffering alone with the occasional support from each other due to the similarity of their pains. He waited as both stopped crying before pulling back and looking at them intently.

"So, does this mean that you'll join me?" he asked softly.

Both nodded and Percy smiled before removing his hood so they could see his face. It took a moment before Medusa gasped as she recognized him but Percy placed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I know, I have a lot to explain but for now, I'll send you somewhere safe," he said as he stepped back and started to gather shadows around them. "Mind you this will feel odd the first time but don't worry, Nyx will explain a few things."

Both had their mouths open in shock at the name of the night goddess but he didn't give them time to respond as the shadows enveloped them, sending them straight to the House of Night. He sighed once they were gone, his body still feeling heavy from the remains of Medusa's curse. He wanted to take a nap but still had a visit or two left.

"Oh well … Gibraltar, here I come!"

And with that, he dissolved into shadows as well …

* * *

 **Surprised? I would hope so! And more will keep coming. Let me know what you think. Much love, Jbubu**


	8. Gathering the Fallen Pt 2

**Author's Note: More reviews! You are all awesome and I love you! I know, an entire week without updates, the horror but alas with finals, I'll be busy. On another note, next chapter and hope everyone enjoys!**

 **Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Uncle Rick**

* * *

 **An Hour After Percy Left**

"Andy?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah … why wouldn't I be?" Andromeda asked as she stopped staring off into the fields of Tartarus.

Rhea looked at the currently little girl in worry. After the episode with detecting her domain and finding Aphrodite, Andromeda had kept a constant blank face and seemed to space out constantly. Rhea was pretty sure that Andromeda was currently monitoring the love goddess, possibly in thinking if and how to pass judgement on her. Even after these years, Andromeda hadn't been vocal about punishing the gods. She wanted their rule to be over, that was clear, but whether she had a hand in their punishments after all was said and done was up in the air.

Personally Rhea would be more than happy if Andromeda kept her hands clean of Olympian ichor after the war. She was simply too sweet and kind to be brought into the torture of the Olympians regardless of how much right she had to after what they did to her family. Percy agreed wholeheartedly with Rhea but he also said that if she made the choice to participate, he wouldn't stop her either. Looking at Andromeda now, Rhea couldn't shake the feeling that she was starting to consider to just that with Aphrodite. Deciding to voice her thoughts, Rhea began, "Are you looking into Aphrodite?"

Andy frowned for a moment before slowly nodding. "It's just that … when I felt how she is … it's like I need to constantly watch her to make sure she doesn't continue with her ways … but I can't really do anything yet, can I?"

"No," Rhea answered while shaking her head. "For now you must stay hidden."

Andy huffed in frustration before frowning at her lap. After a few moments she looked at Rhea with a critical eye, making Rhea begin to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey Rhea … um," Andy muttered softly.

"Yes, what is it?" Rhea asked as she leaned forward curiously.

"Umm … do, uh, just forget it," Andy replied but Now Rhea was too curious to let it up.

"Nah-ah, there's something on your mind so tell me," she persisted while narrowing her eyes at Andy.

"It's nothing, really," Andy shot back.

"You're a terrible liar," Rhea said with a faint smirk before becoming more serious. "Now tell me what's on your mind."

Andromeda bit her lip as she looked anywhere but Rhea's face for a few minutes. She then glanced nervously at Rhea before asking shyly, "You love my brother … right?"

Rhea looked at her in slight surprise before blushing slightly while answering, "Of course I do."

Neither had really said it yet though. She knew Percy was still sensitive to that word after everything that happened with the cheater and Aphrodite's meddling. Heck, his luck with romances have really sucked considering his first crush and girlfriend-ish relation with Rachel ended because of her being the next oracle and all that, then the odd episodes with Calypso and later on Reyna. Rhea was also shy about saying it to him due to her past with her siblings. She hadn't loved Kronos but it was her mother's request that the two be together and she truly had tried to love him … but it just never happened. Afterwards she was alone when her children won the war and she thought she was destined to remain there for all eternity, never loving or loved.

Then suddenly she meets one raven hair man who that damned smirk … and a spark she thought would remain dead forever suddenly grew into a flame. It all started with simple companionship and training, then they became close friends until they were the closest friends could be. They trusted each other in any situation and would always be there for the other. How could she not fall in love with him? Now if only she could work the courage to actually tell him.

"That's good," Andromeda said sweetly before adding with a smirk, "And I would love to call you 'big sister' officially."

"Andy!" Rhea shouted in surprise while her face went golden while her heart raced away.

"What?" Andy asked innocently while shrugging. "It's true and … I know he feels the same."

"He does …?" Rhea whispered softly as she looked at Andy in the eyes. "Are … are you sure?"

Did Percy truly return her love? Had he finally healed enough to love her the same way she did him?

"Yeah … but," Andy continued and Rhea felt her heart drop at the 'but'. Was there something wrong that kept him from being with her? At her look Andromeda took a deep breath before continuing. "Percy's a klutz right?"

"Huh?" Rhea asked, completely caught off guard by the sudden change in the conversation.

"Percy," Andromeda continued, "He is a big, lovable, silly klutz right?"

"Yeah," Rhea said with a tiny sigh as she looked down. "But I still love him."

"I know you do, that's why I'm going to tell you this, otherwise when he does tell you he'll mess it up somehow. I don't really feel like watching you two go in a back and forth just because of a misunderstanding so I'll be frank … but don't let him know I told you," she said seriously making Rhea nod firmly. Andromeda took a deep breath before continuing, "Percy does love you, truly, but … you aren't the only one."

"What do you mean?" Rhea asked nervously as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

"What I mean is, Percy was starting to fall for someone else before he came to Tartarus and then met you. Now he holds you and that significant other in his heart but he's scared to tell you," she answered.

"Why would he be scared?" Rhea asked softly as she looked at Andromeda.

"Because he's scared to lose you if you don't take it well. He also doesn't want to hurt you in any way or make it look like he betrayed you. In fact I'm pretty sure if you made him, he'd choose you since you're together right now … but I can also guarantee that he wouldn't truly be happy."

Rhea stayed silent as she looked at the girl she considered a little sister for some time, her thoughts focused on Percy and the new information she had. So he loved her … but another as well? Who was it? She couldn't recall Percy talking about anyone particular during their years but then again, aside from his adventures, she'd never asked that particular question and didn't think he'd want to touch on romance at the time. Not to mention it would have been awkward when they were dating too.

Still, how did that make her feel? A little hurt maybe? Yes but at the same time she knew he did love her and would never hide something like a relationship on the side from her. Percy could never willingly hurt those he cares for … and if he did love someone else as well, then they couldn't be bad right? She was brought out of her thoughts when Andromeda poked her before speaking up.

"So … what will you do?" she asked nervously.

Rhea gave her a reassuring smile before answering, "I'm going to take a walk and think about it." That answer didn't seem to settle Andromeda at all but before she could add anything Rhea continued while raising a hand. "I didn't say I was angry or am going to break with him. Heavens no! He hasn't done anything wrong and I could never hurt him like that either. I just want a little time to myself before talking to him next time I see him. If he truly feels that way then we're going to need to discuss it like a couple."

Andromeda sighed in relief at her words, giving her a faint smile before hugging her close.

"That's great to hear … and I'm sure everything will work out right in the end."

Rhea smiled at her words before both left the embrace and got up. Rhea was about to turn away to begin her walk when Andy cleared her throat to get her attention.

"Yes?" Rhea asked while half turning to look at her.

"Mind if I borrow the necklace Nyx gave you for your visits to the mortal world?"

"Why?" Rhea asked with a tilt of the head.

"I want to check something," Andy answered cryptically.

"Andromeda," Rhea said as she fully turned around and crossing her arms under her impressive bust while giving the girl a critical eye. "What are you planning that needs you going to the mortal world?"

Andromeda bit her lip for a moment before replying, "I want to see _them_."

"Who?" Rhea asked with narrowing eyes.

"Percy's friends. The ones that he had to leave behind. I just want to check up then for him since, well you know, it's hard for him since he can't really interact with them yet and all that."

"It's too dangerous," was Rhea's immediate answer. No way in hell she was going to let Andromeda go back to the mortal world alone and risk capture and torture or worse at the hands of the Olympians.

"No it isn't!" Andromeda snapped back with irritation lacing her voice as she shifted to her adult form. "I can take on any god that might be there and I'm only going to Camp Jupiter. Plus its night time right now and with Nyx's necklace, I'll practically be invisible power wise. Only someone like a primordial or you and Percy would be able to detect me past the charmed necklace."

Rhea knew she was right but still, the thought of Andromeda getting hurt or worse terrified her. Still, she could see it in Andromeda's eyes that she would just find another way to go if Rhea said no… the Jackson siblings, never had there been such mule headed kids before. At least with the necklace she could be assured that Andromeda was hidden and had a means of escape. They stared off for nearly a minute before Rhea sighed while running a hand through her hair.

"Fine," Rhea finally said and raised a hand before Andy could celebrate, "But you need to be back before dawn at the latest. And if something goes wrong, pray immediately to Nyx or me or any others who can receive prayers. We'll come in even if it means tearing apart an Olympian or two. Am I understood?"

"Crystal," Andy said with a nod before Rhea reached her dress and pulled out an obsidian amulet. She handed it to Andy who quickly put it on before focusing on it.

With a glow of power her hair and eyes became midnight black while her godly aura suppressed to the level of a minor demigod at best. With that she gave Nyx another nod before she closed her eyes and dissolved into the shadows. Rhea sighed as she watched her go before muttering, "I hope I made the right choice …"

* * *

Percy stepped out of the shadow of a palm tree as he took in the sights. He remembered the last time he was here, on the island between Gibraltar and the gate to the _Mare Nostrum._ The beach was quiet and clean, a gentle breeze passing by. Dawn had come recently and the last dregs of shadows were fading making Percy feel even more sore thanks to the remains of Medusa's curse. He rolled his shoulders as he walked along the fine sand, his hood up to keep his identity a secret.

' _Now where is he?'_ he mused before spotting the subject of his search. There, down near the lapping waters of the beach stood Hercules. His dirty blonde hair and trimmed beard waved in the breeze while his electric blue eyes remained cloudy from thought. Dressed in Bermuda trunks, opened beach shirt, and his iconic club impaled in the sand at his side. Percy could tell that he was looking out at the sea morosely, a soft sigh escaping him as Percy approached near soundlessly. ' _Okay … how to do this?'_ he thought awkwardly before he cleared his throat to get his attention.

At the sound Hercules wheeled around to look at him in surprise before he grabbed his club in reflex and leveled a glare at Percy.

"Who are you stranger?" he asked while taking a defensive stance.

"Someone who wants to talk," Percy replied while raising his hands to seem less threatening.

"About what?" Hercules asked suspiciously without taking a step. "And how did you get here in fact? You feel like a demigod and yet I didn't see a vessel or even detect your presence on arrival."

"I shadow traveled and maybe my power was too low for you to bother," Percy replied with a shrug.

"A very likely story," Hercules retorted while watching him closely. "Tell me, why shouldn't I beat you to an inch of your life and drag you back to Olympus?"

"Wouldn't that require you being able to leave this island?" Percy shot back with a tiny smirk. "You're no better than Calypso with this island. The Gate Keeper of Olympus … how grand," Percy drawled while crossing his arms.

Hercules started to turn a golden shade with anger before gritting out, "Are you trying to die?"

"No, however," Percy said with a raised finger, "how about this? We'll fight. No powers or weapons. Just a good old fist to fist. If you win, I'll remain while you summon the Olympians. If I win, you need to do one request for me. Afterwards, you're free to do as you wish … or whatever it is you even can do on this island."

Hercules studied him intently for a few moments before snorting, "Fine." He then tossed his club aside, stripped his shirt to reveal his overly large muscle. Percy scoffed at the failed attempt to intimidate him before he uncrossed his arms and stood at the ready. They looked at each other for a few moments before Hercules suddenly ran forward.

Percy watched as Hercules closed in and sent a haymaker but he ducked right under it as Hercules stumbled past him. He then waited as Hercules returned with growing anger, making jabs and grabs but Percy was a weasel. He weaved in and out of Hercules' grasp with bored ease, even going as far as to tuck his hands into his jean pockets while his eyes glowed in amusement underneath his hood.

Occasionally he would throw a returning jab, nailing Hercules in the nose, the kidney, the sternum, and the temple. Hercules shrugged most off but Percy could see that the damage was slowly building. Hercules was getting sloppier, sometimes stumbling whenever Percy got a good hit at his face and his posture was starting to slump while Percy looked as fresh as a spring daisy. He smirked a little before deciding to throw a taunt after Hercules missed a punch by a wide margin.

"Come on. I came all the way to see you here! Make it worthwhile," Percy goaded making Hercules turn golden even more as went for a wild tackle.

Percy chuckled as he jumped and used his hand to vault over the moving tower of muscle, smacking the back of his head all the while.

"Olay!" Percy shouted with a mock bow, making Hercules roar in rage as he charged again.

His time Percy gave him a smirk that some would call sinister as he caught each of Hercules' hands in his own while grounding his feet into the sand below him. The momentum of the charge pushed him back though, his feet leaving deep trenches in the beach until Hercules slowed to a stop with his hands still locked with Percy's.

"My turn," Percy snickered before applying full force to his hands, bending Hercules' fingers back as he released a pained grunt.

Hercules may have been strong by godly standards but when compared to the likes of Tartarus and even Nyx … well, he wasn't anything special. Knowing that, Percy kept the pressure until Hercules dropped to one knee. Once there, Percy raised his knee and smashed it into Hercules' face. A satisfying crunch marked the recently broken nose as Hercules groaned but Percy wasn't done yet. He then turned around as he pulled Hercules along before slamming the god of Strength straight into the beach. The impact formed a deep crater while making the whole island shake slightly as dust and sand billowed around them.

Percy then finally released his grip on Hercules and stood straight, marveling at the still conscious god even as he moaned in pain. ' _Well, at least he can definitely take a hit,'_ Percy mused as he stepped around the hulking man before setting his foot near Hercules' throat.

"Yield?" Percy asked calmly while looking down at the bested god.

Hercules looked at him past some ichor that had fallen into his eyes from the pretty little cut he got on his head before nodding slowly.

"Alright then," Percy clapped enthusiastically. "Then my request is this; I want to hear your story."

"W-what?" Hercules asked in confusion as he slowly sat up while gingerly touching his forehead.

"You heard me," Percy replied while plopping down beside the god.

"But I'm sure you know …"

"I don't mean the Hercules, great hero who completed the 12 labors. I mean the man that lived as a hero before it all happened. Before the murder of his family after a vengeful goddess cursed him with madness, before his life was turned into a living hell of betrayal and manipulation only to then be cast aside. I want to know the man who once wore the name Heracles with pride and was the true hero demigods should strive to be," Percy said seriously while looking intently at the shocked god.

Hercules openly gapped at him, his eyes showing his disbelief at the request. Percy for his part kept his expression as serious as possible. Even though he found the face Hercules was making hilarious, he didn't want the god to think that he was making fun of him in this request. They remained silent for some time until Hercules sighed while running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"I don't think anyone has ever asked about that before," he muttered as he looked out at the beach and sea beyond.

"Well them that makes me special as the first," Percy replied before grinning. "I'll even sweeten the deal and show you who I am after you finish. Sound good?"

Hercules glanced at him before smirking. "Yeah, that'll do."

"So…" Percy intoned with a rolling hand.

"Hmm … where to begin?" Hercules said while looking up at the sky. "I guess that it all started when I was just a boy. Everyone knows about those serpents _she_ sent after me when I was but a baby. After that failed attempt I think I was left alone with my mother, Alcmene, well into my early childhood. I remember meeting father for the first time but it was brief and I didn't really connect him with the king of the gods until later on. I grew up like any other boy at the time. Loud, energetic, getting into trouble at every turn and generally driving mother crazy … but I did have a sort of father figure at those times."

Hercules paused as he glanced at his hands sadly.

"I never really did appreciate him enough. A wise old hunter he was by the name of Garic. Mother didn't let herself get involved with any men in case of father's wrath but Garic was old and wasn't interested himself so it wasn't a worry for him to visit often," Hercules told with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Taught me to hunt and shoot, gave me a whooping once or twice when I was getting bigheaded … hehe … he knew I was stronger but I respected him too much to do anything and I usually deserved it anyways. But … when I was around 12, I remember father visiting again to see how I was doing."

Hercules paused as he grimaced slightly. "He didn't like the sound of anyone being around me that could fill my head with 'dangerous ideas' as he put it. Turns out when a man teaches you to have humility and offer your services to those in need is dangerous by Olympian standards. I didn't realize it then but suddenly Garic wasn't around anymore … and then the first monsters came when I learned the truth of who my father really was… Then the monsters started to attack in force."

Hercules glanced at Percy, his jaws tight as he continued on. "I fought my first hellhound. Smashed the thing under a cart. Soon more came and I got battle hardened fast. Used my bow a fair amount too and it went like that for several years. By then I'd developed a small reputation as a monster slayer but also a helper. Logging, hunting, building, anything that could put my strength and hard-learned skills to good use."

"Was glory not your goal though?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow … not that Hercules could see it.

"Hmph … at the time, no," Hercules answered. "In truth I was rather happy with the peace and quiet, granted with the monsters it wasn't necessarily boring either. I just wanted my village and mother to be safe after all, it was my home and practically raised me while my father was probably off knocking up other women," Hercules practically spat the last sentence. "He visited from time to time, usually before I would offer my services for work. He would go on how it was beneath me and all that but I never saw anything wrong with it. Garic taught me the joy and self-satisfaction of a hard day's work. I was proud of the things I helped build and protect."

"Makes me wish this part had been in your legend," Percy murmured as he looked critically at Hercules.

"Ha!" Hercules boomed as he clapped Percy on the shoulder. "Well what could you expect? Mortals are always drawn to the bigger and shinier tales and usually forget the humble beginnings. The only reason anyone knows part of my birth was thanks to those damned snakes. But yes, it is a pity." Hercules then sighed again as he looked at the sea. "Of course after some years I met … her."

"Her?" Percy asked as he leaned closer curiously.

"Yes, her …" Hercules murmured with a pained glint in his eyes. "My wife …"

"And her name was?" Percy asked.

"I can't remember it," he answered.

"Why?" Percy asked with a frown.

"You know what I did," Hercules replied as he looked at Percy. "I murdered her and our children."

"But you were cursed," Percy countered.

"Then I should have been stronger!" Hercules snapped back before taking a deep breath. "I should have been stronger but in the end I was made a puppet. So, for my crime, I forced myself to forget her and my children's names … I don't deserve to even utter them."

Percy watched, stunned, as one of the greatest heroes should him a side he doubted any ever knew existed. This, was the man behind the legend, a man who had lost what he cared for most … but then where did the legend come from? I didn't look like Percy would have to wait long to find out.

"Anyways …" Hercules said after a few minutes. "After I met her, well, what can I say? She was perfect. Kind, gentle, understanding, patient, and most importantly, loving. Fiery too if you managed to get her upset enough and let me tell you, that woman could throw a slap hard enough to even knock my thick skull! She was everything Garic used to tell me about finding in a woman and I was more than happy to settle down with her after a few years. Father visited again and was angry that I was wasting my potential though, saying that his son was above a mere mortal … that was the first and last argument I had with him. But a few years later the curse of that _queen_ ," Hercules said venomously, "came and you know what happened after."

Percy remained silent for some time as he digested the story he'd just heard. So Hercules had not even been remotely close to what the myth said … or was it? He had to know so he asked one question that concerned him.

"You do know that _she_ can't cause madness, right?" he asked in an even tone, not trying to anger the god and risking the chance of losing the knowledge that he wanted.

Hercules scoffed before looking at him with a 'are you serious' face. "Of course I know it wasn't just her. Her orders, sure, but we both know what disgrace of a god actually implemented the madness. If I could get my hands around that porker's neck …" Hercules seethed while making strangling motions with his hands.

"So then … what happened with the labors?" Percy asked after Hercules set his hands down. "I mean, all the accounts I've heard go back and forth with you being arrogant, prideful, and a general ass."

"You go through having your family killed and being left alone to serve a punishment for a crime you didn't willingly commit without indulging in as many vices as possible to drown the misery," Hercules replied soberly. "I sort of knew that it was the Olympians, not just the queen and the bastard drunk that did it. They watched on and did nothing … but in the end I couldn't really go against them so instead I became like them. I flaunted my linage, drank and claimed many women, and even cheated in some of the labors. I just wanted them done so that the Olympians would leave me alone."

"And Nightshade?" Percy asked in an edgy voice. She had been so heartbroken thanks to Hercules and had her life ripped apart because of it. Depending on how Hercules answered … well … the Olympians might end up short a god.

"Nightshade," Hercules echoed as he furrowed his brows in thought. "She was … a Hesperides, correct?"

Percy nodded firmly, waiting for the explanation. Hercules sighed before speaking softly, "I do feel guilty about that but at the time, as I said, I just wanted to be done with it. I didn't think Atlas would have punished her so gravely and when she ran to me, crying while begging for me to take her with me … I just couldn't."

Percy noted the look in Hercules' eyes and recognized it instantly. It was a look he'd seen in the mirror so many times, especially when he knew a battle or dangerous quest was coming.

"You didn't leave her because she would slow you down," Percy murmured as he looked at Hercules, "You left because you were scared that you would grow attached … and then fail to keep her safe."

Hercules slumped as he nodded slowly. "It sounds like you know the feeling."

"Swear to it," Percy suddenly said making Hercules look at him strangely. "Swear on the Styx and your immortality that everything you just told me is the whole truth," he continued gravely.

Hercules looked at him unwaveringly for some time before answering, "I swear on the Styx and my immortality that everything I have just told you was the truth and nothing but the truth."

A loud thunder crack sealed the deal and nothing happened to Hercules in the next five seconds. Percy let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding. ' _Nyx was right … he really was different from the legends,'_ Percy thought as he stood up and dusted off his leather pants. He then turned to face the god as he remained sitting.

"Well … a deal is a deal," Percy said before he pulled back his hood and revealed his face. Hercules narrowed his eyes at him for a moment before they shot wide as he gaped at him making Percy. "Yup. Percy Jackson, holder of too many titles to count or care, guy that helped bury your ass in fruit and whole hams after besting the senile water god you have living on the other side of the island with a daughter of the love goddess. How's it going?"

Hercules continued to gap at him for a few seconds before asking, "How? They said you disappeared from the face of the earth after the war and no one could find you."

"Didn't look hard enough," Percy answered with a snort before digging into his pocket and then tossing Hercules an obsidian marble.

Hercules looked at it curiously before Percy explained. "You were treated unfairly and left here to rot after what the Olympians did. If you want your freedom and wish to join me, crush that marble and I'll come to break the seal on this island."

"You're … going against Olympus?" Hercules asked incredulously. "But why? You're their hero."

Percy gave him a smile devoid of warmth before replying, "Let's just say that they did something similar to me … and I refuse to continue on with their abuses. I won't ask you to fight for me if you do chose to be free … but please consider my offer. Also I would ask you the favor of not revealing who I am … but that's up to you too."

He was taking a gamble here but Nyx had convinced him that the payoff was worth the risk. Getting the legendary Hercules to remain neutral would go a long ways to helping resolve this future war quickly and if he actually joined to fight, all the better. Hell, Hercules had beef to pick with Dionysus and Percy would gladly had over the bastard to him.

"I'll be on my way then," Percy said as he raised his hood again while aiming one last glance at the silent god as he stared at the marble in his hand.

He silently walked to the nearest shadow of a palm tree before dissolving into the darkness. His travel was short as he thought of his last destination for his little recruitment drive. Soon he materialized at the borders of a familiar river. The ghostly wails and screams of the damned echoed in the distance as a familiar chill permeated the air. Percy sighed as he looked at his uncle's domain before turning his attention to the river and walking forward until his toes barely scrapped the black waters of the river of hate.

Percy took a deep breath as he chanted mentally, ' _Need to get her attention. Need to get her attention!'_ With that he slowly started to walk into the hellish waters, his skin already tingling as the acidic liquid tried to eat away at him. He kept his face blank as he slowly walked, biting back the screams of pain that desperately wanted to come out. ' _This hurts more than the first time!'_ he complained as he moved through the waters till they were at his waist.

He was starting to breathe harder and he knew that it was a matter of time before the water ate past his skin. He was focusing his raw power throughout his body to resist the effects of the river but that was draining as well, and it did nothing for the pain. He was already starting to feel light headed and ready to step out but then he heard an amused giggle come off his right side.

His face turned, his flaming black eyes meeting a pair of swirling green and black streaks staring back at him.

"Lady Styx," he said with a small smile even as he contained his grimace from the pain. "How lovely to see you. I was wondering … are you interested in an offer I have for you…?"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Well ... didn't see that coming did you! Hercules with redemption and so much more! Let me hear your thoughts! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	9. A Shocking Revelation

**Author's Note: And the reviews keep coming! Thank you everyone for the support. Now then for the next chapter.**

 **Little thing (or big for some of you): For Piper fans, I apologize but please, it is part of the story and nothing happens without an intended reason. A lot of characters will have ups and downs, betrayals of every kind, and** **redemption so patience please.**

 **Otherwise, I hope everyone enjoys!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot.**

* * *

 **Same Time as Percy Left to Find Medusa**

The hill was silent as a steady breeze rolled by, the tiny blades of grass dancing in unison to the light of the stars. The fields of Mars spread out within the valley, New Rome just over the hill itself. It was still the middle of the night and the stars were bright though shadows abounded as well. In this darkness the shadows writhed and condensed together to form a feminine figure. Soon the shadows and darkness dissipated to reveal Andromeda, her currently black eyes scanning around herself. Finding no one she released a tensed sigh, though her frame did lose some of the tension it held before.

"Okay … if I were a legendary demigod of the big seven prophecy, where would I go?" she asked herself as she looked towards New Rome. "Hmm … I could probably find them wherever the strongest presence is," she mused as she started to walk towards the city.

She walked silently, enjoying the cool night and fresh air. She glanced at the moon and frown though, the bright satellite being a constant reminder of the goddess who'd lied to her for years. She sighed in sadness at the thought, wondering why things had to turn out like this. Even still she couldn't truly hate the goddess or her Hunt, which was why she left all the planning on how to eliminate them to her brother and Rhea. They didn't have a problem with the task and honestly, Andy wished them a quick death … but knew that it wasn't likely. Still, that wasn't her purpose at the moment so she shock the thoughts before she noticed she'd arrived at the city limit and a statue with no arms had just popped into existence in front of her.

"Halt!" Terminus, god of Borders and Boundaries, shouted in latin at her. "State your business."

"Hello Lord Terminus," she greeted respectfully with a small bow and everything. "I just wish to visit the city. Is that okay?"

The statue stared at her hard before asking, "Just who are you young demigod? I've never seen you before."

"I'm from the Greek camp and am just visiting the area," she replied without missing a step. "I was enjoying the fields and wasn't really planning on visiting the city tonight but tomorrow. However, it just looks so beautiful at night that I couldn't resist. So can I go, pleeeaase?" she asked with full blown puppy eyes and quivering lip.

The statue grimaced slightly, obviously trying to resist her gaze but it was a losing battle and soon Terminus caved.

"Very well," he said stiffly. "Any weapons to declare?"

" **No, I only have jewelry** ," she answered in a voice laced with powerful charmspeak beyond the ability of any god or monster.

Terminus couldn't so much as twitch an eyebrow as his facial features softened before he nodded.

"Enjoy New Rome," he said before the statue went completely stiff meaning that Terminus had moved his conscious to another one along the border.

Andromeda had a very Percy-ish grin on her face as she continued to walk, already hearing the chatter of the lively city. ' _Now to search …'_

* * *

A raven haired figure sat comfortably at a local café of New Rome, sipping on a steaming cup of black coffee, no sugar. He was dressed in a black bicker jacket over his equally black t-shirt with a skull on the front. His ripped jeans were more of the dark grey shade leading to thick, black boots with steel toes. His belt had a skull buckle matching the one on his right index finger, his usual Stygian Iron blade left back at his room in the Underworld due to laws of New Rome and bringing weapons. He was Nico Di Angelo, now a young man of 23 years. He'd filled out in the years, with a steady stream of training, hunting down rogue souls, and proper rest and nutrition thanks to one Dr. Solace.

Now standing at nearly 6 foot and with a body of a tri-athlete, more defined and chiseled features, and of course the dark and mysterious air around him, he was quite the chick magnet. Mores the pity he didn't bat that way. He sat alone for now, silently thinking on the last few years and how much things had changed ever since his cousin disappeared. A week after the seven were given their rewards, Percy simply disappeared off the face of the earth. At first Nico had been a little worried but when he'd been informed of how Annabeth had not only cheated, but took godhood without pause without coming clean to his cousin, he thought that Percy had simply left to get some air. Alaska was beautiful that time of year anyways.

However, after a year passed he got worried and noted his father was particularly distressed at the mentioned of the lost hero so Nico had pressed him for information and what he got shocked him. He knew he'd felt an odd death pair of deaths that week but to get it straight from his father how the gods had murdered Percy's family … well, let's just say that there were several sorry undead that got to feel his wrath in the aftermath. After venting he made sure to visit Sally and Paul in Elysium (Hades escorted them himself) and tried to inform them of what happened. They weren't thrilled but he promised to keep them up to date of anything particularly important. Afterwards he'd almost charged straight into the Hunt to recover Percy's sister but then thought better of it. He knew the Olympians were covering up what they did and a search had been issued for Percy. That alone would keep the Hunt too mobile and alert for him to possibly sneak into their camp unnoticed.

He also couldn't bring himself to tell Thalia about what her mistress did. Where would Thalia go if she left the Hunt? Would Artemis even let her go if she knew that the secret could get out? Not likely and Nico wouldn't have pushed it past the goddess to threaten to harm Percy's sister to keep them both quiet so he decided that for now, he wouldn't act. What was he waiting for? A sign possibly. Percy was too powerful for his death to not cause literal quakes through the Underworld so Nico was sure the cheeky bastard is alive somewhere.

' _But does he know what the Olympians did? Probably … his disappearance was too convenient otherwise,'_ Nico thought as he heard the bell for the door ring, signaling a new customer. He stood at 6 foot'2 with a bright head of blonde hair and electric blue eyes. His strong jaw line, lean and muscular build, and faintly tanned skin turned many a heads in the café. He was dressed in a buttoned version of the Camp Jupiter shirt, curtesy of Calypso's dress shop located in the city next to Leo's forge. His sleeves were rolled up showing his branding of SPQR and over a decade's worth of bars for his services. Lastly were his clean blue jeans and tanned boots that had a heavy thud with his every step, marking the approach of Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, ex-praetor, and one of the immortal (partially) guardians of New Rome. ' _I know I love Will and all but I got to admit, Jason's hot,'_ Nico thought while appreciating the sight.

After a year or so with his reward, Jason had returned to Olympus and asked if he and Piper could be allowed to grow until they reached 25 and many people liked the results. It was actually pretty funny when Nico and Jason did these hang out since they almost always got hit on together and then had to softly put down their admirers. Nico just did a sort of 'not interested' glare while Jason was just too damn nice and usually took forever to get his point across that he was taken. The rare few that replied with 'doesn't matter, you look like you could use two girlfriends' always made Jason choke while Nico actually laughed from time to time. Even the thought of it was making him smile faintly.

"You're looking happy. Something nice happen?" Jason asked with a chuckle as he plopped down in the seat across from Nico.

"Nah, just thinking of the girls that hit on you," Nico shot back and was satisfied to see Jason scratching his neck nervously. Giving him some mercy Nico pushed on with the conversation, "So, back from another 'exciting' job?"

Jason sighed as he relaxed in his chair. "Yeah. Two demigods this time up in Oregon. Both around 12 years old and already running from a persistent pack of hellhounds. Got to them in time though and I dropped them off yesterday at the barracks. Looks like a son of Mercury and I'm almost sure a daughter of Athena but they'll have to wait for official claiming."

"The work never ends," Nico muttered while taking a sip of his coffee and waving down a waitress.

"Amen to that," Jason agreed as he looked through a small menu. "But hey, that's the job I picked and honestly, makes me feel good to go out and save lives like that. If anything I'm sure he would have joined me."

At the mention of Percy they got a little more sober, both missing the guy that was their brother in all but blood, especially Nico after he came to terms with his crush on Percy and how Percy was obviously in love with Annabeth … bitch.

"I miss him man," Jason said softly after a waitress came and took his order.

"Most of us do," Nico agreed with a sigh. "We searched for years but he just up and vanished."

"Yeah and remember about his family. Jeez, do you think he even knew about them dying?" Jason asked as he looked at his own hands. "… Even his little sister disappeared … she never got a chance."

At the mention of Percy's sister, Nico had to suppress a flinch as guilt welled up within him. Like Thalia, none of the others had been told the truth of what happened for similar reasons. They could all be put in danger if they knew and worse if they acted rashly about it. The group was already split up as it was and that made them vulnerable. Nico had his duties in the Underworld, Thalia was surrounded by obedient hunters at Artemis' beck and call, Frank and Hazel had moved upstate to the border of Canada together, and Annabeth was mostly on Olympus but then again, she would probably be part of the threat rather than be in danger.

"I know its hard Jason," Nico said softly as he set his drink down. "But we will just have to carry on and hope that he returns someday."

"But how can you be sure that he's even alive?" Jason asked dejectedly.

Nico's only reply was a raised eyebrow, as if asking Jason if he was really asking him, a son of Hades, if he knew if someone was alive or not. Jason got the idea after a few seconds and the pair paused their conversation as the waitress arrived with Jason's drink, a loaded caramel macchiato with fudge and even a damn toasted marshmallow on top. Nico stared at the sugary bomb, not noticing the ding of the bell as another customer, a girl with raven hair reaching her lower back, walked into the store while aiming a subtle eye at them before taking a seat just far enough to not draw attention but close enough to eavesdrop.

"So…" Jason started after taking a sip of his order, much to Nico's growing horror. "… Any news?"

"Hmmm," Nico hummed as he tapped his chin. "Not too much really. The Hunt has been rather silent and barely seen nowadays …"

"Barely seen?" Jason asked incredulously. "They haven't visited either camp in years or the one or two council meetings I've attended to add suggestions for camp, Lady Artemis barely speaks at all and mostly looks at the floor. Something has to have happened with them."

' _Yeah, some girl and massive wolf arrived, ripped Phoebe apart and kidnapped Percy's sister,'_ Nico thought, recalling the Iris message he'd received days after it happened. Sure, Thalia didn't know that 'Atalanta' was in fact Andromeda Jackson, but he'd been one of the few that knew what happened since the Olympians, again, were hiding any signs of weakness. Their best equivalent to a special forces being so easily infiltrated, losing one of their best and oldest hunter, and it all happening without Artemis being able to do anything to stop it. That was a heavy blow to the entire pride of Olympus … and it scared them. Thalia had told him that the Hunt hand been on a search for this 'Umbra' and the girl accompanying him ever since in thirst of revenge but every day without success Artemis gets more easily agitated and aggressive. They also hadn't had any new recruits since and their numbers had fallen by five so far.

"Who knows, you know how secretive the Hunt can be, especially when concerning boys," Nico said with a shrug.

"Yeah I guess," Jason conceded while sipping at his drink. "What else?"

"Camp Half-Blood is busy as ever. Overflowing with demigods but no additions to the Big Three as of yet. The cabins are being expanded into several floor buildings and many minor god cabins have been completed. Annabi-excuse me, Annabeth has been busy with helping the development and that gaudy statue as a monument was finished," Nico continued.

Jason grimaced at the mention of the statue. He had been one of the people against erecting monuments for them. If anything, there should be something to represent all the lives lost in the wars, not just celebrating the seven, especially considering that the seven had more than planned with Nico and Reyna's involvement.

"Let's see … nah, that's all I got at the moment," Nico finished with a shrug. "What about you?"

"Huh, where to begin?" Jason replied while rolling a shoulder. "Well, Frank and Hazel are doing well last time I visited."

"Takes guts what they're doing," Nico muttered to which Jason nodded.

"You have to admit though, creating a safe house with small barrier and everything for demigods in need while being guarded by two experienced, powerful, partially immortal demigods is a great idea," Jason added with a faint smile.

"True but they are a little out of the way," Nico pointed out.

"Maybe they'll move it to somewhere more central in a couple of years," Jason replied with a shrug.

"Maybe …"

"Anyways, aside from them, Reyna is doing fine as a senator for the council of New Rome and trainer for demigod arrivals."

"I hear she's brutal though," Nico chuckled to which Jason joined.

"No kidding. I'm pretty sure the new recruits are more scared of her than the monsters they're being trained to fight."

They both started to outright laugh at that for a good five minutes before settling down. Nico looked at Jason's smiling face but quickly grew concerned when Jason slowly started to frown.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Nico asked in a low tone.

Jason sighed before answering, "My father visited me again last week."

"Again?" Nico asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah … he's … well," Jason leaned forward so Nico mirrored him to hear better, "… he keeps offering godhood."

Had it been anyone else they would have shouted something stupid like 'godhood, no way!' but this was Nico, so he kept his features schooled as he looked at Jason for further explanation.

"As you know, he wasn't exactly happy that I turned down the request. Stuff about I'm above such work and well, things are getting pretty rough between us lately. I almost lost it on him when he said that Percy didn't matter and that I was the real hero of Olympus and should be an Olympian."

"What happened then?" Nico asked while mentally cursing Zeus further.

"He stormed off and that was a week ago," Jason replied while taking a larger gulp of his sugary tragedy.

"Huh," was all Nico could say as he thought about the prideful bastard that is the king of the gods. Honestly, after what he learned about them, the only goddess he even acknowledged was Hestia and his father. All the other ones could go swim in the bowels of Tartarus for all he cared.

"And Piper?" he asked after a pause and grew even more worried when Jason frowned again.

"We've been … okay," Jason answered unsurely. "Things have been a little tense too. I mean, I get a mission once every month at least and am gone anywhere from a few days to a whole week. I guess she's just getting bored being cooped up but I've suggested she go more often into the camp. Train or help with the new recruits but she doesn't really seem too interested in it."

"Odd considering she picked the job with you … it was a mutual choice right?" Nico asked after uncertainty flashed through Jason's eyes.

"Well, she asked me what I wanted to do after the war a few days before we got to Athens and I told her about my goal to keep helping demigods. I got a little too into it and then Piper just said it was nice but didn't tell me hers. Then on Olympus I looked at her and thought she would want it too, that's why I asked for both of us to get partial immortality, so we wouldn't be restricted by the ancient laws,' Jason explained.

"But why are things tense then?" Nico asked.

Jason ran a hand through his hair before answering, "Well … I think it might have to do with the war being over. You have to remember, Piper was thrown into our world in the middle of war and stepped up to the role she needed to play but even before all of it, she just wanted a quiet life. I guess that after the war ended, she was expecting more peace and quiet but then I got us this job that's constantly keeping me busy. She's complained about it a lot and how I'm hardly home."

"Damn," Nico sighed as he looked at Jason critically. "Well, do you at least keep her 'satisfied' when you are around? I know that helps with busy couples."

At his suggestion Jason blushed crimson while looking down at the table and not meeting Nico's eyes.

"Wait … you guys have 'progressed' right? It's been years and you have your own house," Nico said in a mix of shock and disbelief.

"I'm old fashioned dammit!" Jason snapped back with a deepening blush.

"Holy shit … the Grace siblings plus one are still virgins," Nico murmured as he stared wide eyed at his friend. "And I always thought I'd be the last."

"Dude!" Jason said while raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Look, I just want to make sure of everything and maybe …"

"Propose when the time is right?" Nico completed for him to which Jason nodded. "Then what's stopping you? We're at a time of peace, monster attacks are in a steady low, demigod numbers are high and the camp defenses are strong. If there was a time, it's now."

"It's just … I don't know, something feels off," Jason said while taking a small sip of his drink.

"What do you mean?" Nico asked with narrowing eyes.

"I don't know how to say it but … I feel like the Olympians will get in the way," Jason said in a low tone. "Father tried to make that one of his selling points on how I was worthy of a goddess, not a mere child of Aphrodite. I'm pretty sure Aphrodite would approve and all but then again, lately she's been having bonding night outs with Piper, especially after we have arguments. Pipes is gone for a night or two and then seems happier than usual but doesn't really tell me what she does and I find it a little … worrying."

"Dude, you aren't suggesting …"

"I don't know what to think," Jason cut him off shortly. "But if anything I should trust her and be thankful that Aphrodite is helping her out."

"Okay, I won't push on anything but hey, if you ever need to talk, I'm an IM away … or if I happen to be on the surface you can just use your flashy transportation," Nico said while finishing with a snicker.

"Hey! Don't dis the lightning teleportation man. It's cooler than shadow traveling," Jason replied with a smirk.

"Whatever you say," Nico replied with a shrug. "At least it didn't take me years to figure out my shadow traveling … how long was it before you figure out how to travel by lightning again?"

"Well I didn't wind up halfway to China when I messed up," Jason countered before downing the rest of his drink. "So, want to head back to my place and throw back some cold ones?"

"You want beer after drinking _that_?" Nico asked incredulously while pointing an accusing finger at Jason's empty cup.

"Sure," Jason said with a shrug. "Pipes wasn't home when I arrived last night and I always enjoy good company, so what do you say?"

Nico thought about it for a few moments before sighing in defeat and nodding. He finished his coffee quickly, went up to the counter to pay for their drinks, and then the pair headed out … not noticing their little 'shadow' trailing them. They walked in comfortable silence, enjoying the sights of the city around them as they headed for the newest district added to New Rome. It was specifically commissioned after the council was informed that Jason and Piper had taken a role as guardians of the camp along with Frank and Hazel at the time. Calypso and Leo joined a year or two later forming the 'Guardian District'. Essentially is was a way for the council to brown nose them into favor with an upper class style lodgings.

Reyna and Nico were each built a home as well in honor of their efforts but truly, out of all the heroes of the Giant War, only Jason, Piper and Reyna lived here. Nico was mostly in the Underworld or with Will in their apartment in New York, Frank and Hazel have their house up north, and Calypso and Leo usually prefer to flash to a custom built house on Ogygia. The houses were nice though, being built into large villas with large spans of land and even some trees around them. Jason even had a reception hall and office added to his and Piper's just in case a senator or legion member needed to have an emergency meeting with him.

"Don't you ever find it creepy that this place is almost always deserted?" Nico asked.

"I don't want to hear that from the guy who prefers staying in the place where screams of torture are the background," Jason replied with a deadpanned as Jason's house came into view … and the living room light was on. "Huh, Pipes must be home then …"

The pair continued to walk on up the small path to the front door and Nico noticed that it was slightly ajar making him frown in thought. As they stepped closer Nico caught the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional grunt making him frown further. A glance at Jason showed him that the son of Jupiter gone rather pale as his hands balled into fists. Nico started dreading what they would find but they couldn't stop themselves as they arrived at the door and soundlessly pushed it open to a startling sight.

There, just a mere few meters in front of them on a couch, was Piper and some blonde dude fucking like rabbits. Piper was on her back, legs spread, as her tongue hung loose and her eyes remained glazed with lust as she looked at the man mercilessly pounding into her. Her hair was disheveled and Nico caught the trace scent of alcohol in the air along with heavy perfume. The man over her was rather handsome, with a lean yet heavily muscled back, tan complexion, short cut hair, and deep blue eyes.

Nico and Jason stood stock still at the sight, neither really being able to think a coherent thought as they watched on while the man continued on without a care in the world. However, after a while Piper's face turned their way as a breeze rolled in … and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Jason!" she shouted in shock before she looked at the man on top of her in horror. "Oh my gods …"

Suddenly the man stopped as he turned his torso to like at them smugly.

"See little bro, once a daughter of Aphrodite, always a daughter of Aphrodite," the 'man' said as his facial features changed to more clear cut, his blonde hair growing until it reached his cheeks giving him a surfer look.

"Apollo!" Piper shouted in shock as she used one hand to cover her bare breasts while scooting away from him, tears starting to trail down her eyes. "How!? Why!?"

"Oh don't play innocent sweetheart, I only put the moves, you did everything else," Apollo chuckled back as he snapped his finger and was immediately dressed in jeans and a white buttoned shirt while walking towards the still silent Jason. "Pops told you, you were above her and now you have the proof."

"Jason don't listen to him!" Piper shouted as she grabbed a shirt from the floor and put it on to cover herself.

"So come on bro," Apollo continued while resting a hand on Jason's shoulders. "Let's head on up to Olympus and talk it up with dad," he added with an unashamed grin.

"Artemis was right about you," Jason finally said in a broken voice as his head remained turned down. "You really are a pigheaded bastard."

Apollo's grin fell at the words, his face becoming serious as he spoke in a grave voice, "Father can only take a no so many times … _bro_."

Jason's hands shot up and grabbed Apollo by the collar of his shirt, his head finally rising to reveal the tears running down his cheeks. "You're not my brother!" he shouted as lightning started to crackle off his body to the point Nico had to take a step back. "And I'm going to make you pay!"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Yeah ... that happened. What will come of this? SO much you have no idea! Again, I apologize to Piper and Jasper fans but this was done for a reason and next chapter will explain a lot of things. Cool? Hope everyone enjoyed nonetheless and let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	10. Brothers in Arms

**Author's Note: Here we are with yet another chapter! Highly anticipated, the wheels keep spinning for that plot! I hope everyone enjoys!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but plot.**

* * *

"Hah, finally!" Percy shouted in relief as he sat on a sofa in the living room of the House of Night.

He'd just finished his little talk with Lady Styx and it looked like things went well … a little too well.

"And here I thought she was married or something but noooo … she's just been saving herself for someone special," Percy groaned while crossing his arms. "Last thing I need is another goddess on my plate," he muttered before sighing. "Why me?"

"Maybe it's because you're too nice?" a soft voice said right behind his ear.

"Wow!" Percy started as he fell off the sofa and onto his ass to a chorus of giggles.

He looked at his 'attacker' to see Rhea looking down at him with mirth in her eyes. He pouted at her but that did nothing to stop her amusement. It didn't last though as his pout broke into a faint smile as he stood up and walked around the sofa to hug Rhea close to him. She squeaked a little in surprise but then he just kissed her, being all too happy to see her. She returned the kiss in kind and for a while they just remained like that, locked in a gentle massage of lips. After they finally broke apart Percy kept their foreheads together before whispering, "Told you I'd come back in one piece."

"You did," Rhea replied with a smile.

Percy smiled warmly at her but then recalled what he told Nyx before he left. His face got sober as he knew he had to tell her now. Rhea noted his change in demeanor, giving him a concerned look.

"I need to talk to you about something," Percy said softly as he led her to the sofa and sat them both down while holding her hands.

"What is it Percy?" she asked gently while running her thumb over the back of his hand.

Percy released a sigh as he thought about how to go about this but honestly he sucked with these sort of things. Could he just go outright and say 'Rhea I love you but also possibly another!' That wouldn't work and he might just end up with him getting slapped and Rhea was damn strong. He would know, she once punched him through a wall during training. Deciding to try and be as direct as possible, while also delicate, he faced Rhea.

"Rhea … I love you," he said softly.

At his words Rhea's face lit up with joy as she looked back at him but before she could say anything he continued, "And I have for some time but … there's more." Her face became neutral as he said that, and it honestly worried him. "… You see, before I came down here I was sort off … falling for someone else as well. I didn't really plan on it happening but I'm pretty sure that I like her, maybe even love her too."

"So what are you asking me?" Rhea said in an even tone.

"Well … I don't know," Percy said with a defeated slump of the shoulders. "I want to stay with you and make you happy … but I just couldn't hide this from you." He suddenly turned his head down, letting his midnight hair obscure his eyes. "I'd understand if you don't want to keep seeing me knowing that you aren't the only one in my heart and all bu-mmph!?"

Percy was shot up when Rhea suddenly grabbed his face and pulled him into a searing kiss. He was completely at her mercy as her lips worked around his, nibbling him occasionally. For what felt like an eternity they remained locked together until Rhea finally pulled back, a strand of saliva still connecting them.

"Percy … I love you too," Rhea said in such a warm voice that Percy felt as if his heart could start melting as he looked into her beautiful hazel-gold eyes. "I've already had some time to think about this."

"How?" he asked.

"A little bird told me," she replied with a shrug. "And don't worry who. The point is that they did it for you and I'm proud that you still came up to tell me yourself," she continued on while cupping his face. "And honestly, it doesn't surprise me that your heart is more than big enough to love more than one person. I know your loyalty is important to you but I would never make you fight your own heart and if that means I might have to share, then so be it."

Percy looked at Rhea in shock, his jaw gone slack as she giggled lightly at his expression. "Don't be too surprised. It wasn't too big of a shock if men, especially gods, had more than one significant other back in the times of Greece though your reasons are far more … wholesome. That and I took into consideration our animal natures."

"W-what!?" he asked.

"Well, you're a wolf and wolf alphas do tend to have several mates however …" She then suddenly jumped him, pushing him onto his back as she straddled him and held his hands at the sides of his head. "Remember that I'm a lioness," she said with her fangs suddenly enlarging to become more prominent. He felt his own fangs elongate in response. "And as your first mate, I am the queen and will always be at the top," she growled into his ear before nipping it.

He growled in response before he turned his head and kissed her with a passion he didn't know he had. She soon released his hand and moved them to his hair, tugging him closer as his hands found her firm rear and gave them an appreciative squeeze. She moaned into his mouth and he took the opening to have his tongue dart into hers, exploring every nock and cranny as her tongue tried to fight back. Soon he sat up before pushing her back so that he was on top, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

"Gods I love you," Percy breathed before assaulting her lips again.

"Me too," Rhea replied between the kisses as her hands traveled over his defined pecks.

His hands soon joined in the exploration, one soon cupping her left breast and giving it a firm squeeze making Rhea moan into his mouth. Soon he willed his coat of darkness to dissipate along with his shirt while he trailed kisses down Rhea's neck, her hands pulling his head closer as she mewled softly with his every kiss. He started to near the swell of her breasts and was preparing to slide her dress straps off her shoulders but then she asked an odd question.

"So who is it anyways?"

"What!?" he shot back as he sat up slightly to look her in the face, loving the golden flushed color she had.

"Who's the other woman you're falling for?" she asked again while her fingers kept trailing his abs and lowering teasingly.

"Ah …" He was running blank right now.

Okay, Rhea was cool with him loving more than one person and that made him so happy that he nearly tried looking for a ring just to propose already … but sexy times first. Now however, he had to tell her who the other girl is and that she is in fact her own daughter … oh boy.

"…hm … tia …" he mumbled too low for her to catch.

"What?" she asked as she brought his head closer. "Percy you're going to have to talk clearly."

"…Hes …" he stopped again as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Percy," Rhea growled, getting a little tired of his hesitance.

"Hestia!" he blurted out making Rhea look at him in surprise.

They remained silent for a few minutes, all the while Percy had a radioactive blush going as Rhea stared at him. After what felt like too damn long Rhea spoke.

"Oh …"

' _Oh! That's all!? You are being too calm about this!'_ Percy shouted mentally as he waited for her to continue. She just stared at him for even longer, her brow furrowing in deep thought for a while before she locked their gazes and muttered, "… Pervert…"

"Ha?" was his intelligent reply as Rhea gave him a frown while crossing her arms and bunching up her bosom. He had to keep his eyes locked with hers otherwise he'd be distracted again.

"Pervert," she repeated with a judging look. "Asking a mother to share her boyfriend with her daughter. Are you sure this isn't a fetish or something?"

Percy started choking on air and spluttering as he tried to think of a defense. He didn't just talk to his own heart and ask, 'hey, mind if we fall for a sweet girl and just so happen add her mother to it?' And now she was possibly (likely) upset about it. However, his growing concerns were soon turned to confusion as Rhea started giggling while giving him a teasing look.

"Y-you're not upset?" he asked timidly, getting more confused by the moment by his girlfriend.

"Not really," Rhea said between her giggles.

"So you approve then?" Percy asked with a spark of hope igniting in his chest while Rhea settled down to speak properly.

"Well … umm … I think we can talk about that later," Rhea said with a shrug. "I can't say I don't approve since she is my only child that hasn't become a monster like the rest … well Hades too but he's too grumpy most of the time and a little vengeful and I'm not really sure what to think about Demeter."

' _A little she says,'_ Percy mused as he sighed before leaning down and capturing her lips again but this time in a tender way, expressing his love for her through it. He could feel her smile into it as her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" he asked as he broke away for a moment.

"So you keep telling me," Rhea replied before giving him a sultry look, "Now show me how much you love me."

To emphasis her point she started to roll her hips against his, making him suppress a groan at the heat he could feel radiating off her along with the scent of her arousal that his wolf side could instantly recognize.

"My pleasure," he growled into her ear, making her shiver in anticipation before he attacked her lips with renewed vigor.

He was about to start undressing her again but then he caught a surprised choke and stumble making both him and Rhea stop the kiss as they turned their heads to see what it was. Percy's eyes widened in shock as he saw not only his sister … but Jason and Nico standing beside her, all staring at them with equally wide eyes.

"Ummm … hi?" Percy asked weakly as he sat up slightly while Rhea let go of his neck.

Before anyone could say anything else he caught a chuckle and everyone in the room turned towards the hall to see Nyx, with Medusa and Lamia right behind her, looking at the scene in amusement … or shock in case of the monster women.

"Well, it looks like everyone has arrived," she said cheerily. "Now onto the impromptu meeting …"

* * *

 **Several Hours Earlier**

"Mom are you sure?" Piper asked uncertainly as the pair walked into a club in the streets of San Francisco.

"Piper will you relax?" Aphrodite sighed as they looked around the dance floor, techno music blaring through the speakers as lights flashed.

"But … this is further than what we've done before," Piper returned as she looked at her own dress.

It was a tight, black sleeveless dress that hugged her body to expose every curve and ended just below her ass meaning she couldn't so much as lean to far without showing her panties. Her mom was dressed similar but instead it was red and her hair was done into curls while Piper left hers as free as usual and without the trademark feather she always has. Both walked across the floor and to the bar, catching many eyes that made her mother preen while Piper felt more conflicted about it. She liked the attention, certainly more than anything Jason gave her, but also felt a little out of place with the attention coming from others.

"It's the natural next step," her mom answered as she leaned against the bar, giving the bartender a generous view of cleavage. "Besides, you didn't argue all the times I took you to get 'happy ending' massages," she said with a smirk.

"That's different!" Piper replied with a blush. "Besides, I didn't actually sleep with anyone … I was just …"

"Given a lashing of fingers and tongue," Aphrodite finished for her without a hint of shame.

"Mom!" Piper squealed while looking around to see if anyone had heard her mother.

"It's true," Aphrodite continued while scanning the dance floor. "And besides, what's the point of holding out?"

"But I love Jason and my first time should be special," Piper defended while facing the bar but then looked at her mother when she scoffed.

"And when will that be?" her mom asked. "It's been years and you guys haven't gotten past what? Third base and maybe a little oral? What the Hades is he waiting for!?"

Piper looked at her mother in surprise, wondering where the sudden anger came from. Sure, her mother had been critical of Jason recently, especially after Piper told her, her frustrations but this was new. Aphrodite huffed as she returned to looking at the dance floor.

"Just another repeat of me and Hephaestus in the making," her mother grumbled while eyeing the cute guys that happened to pass by … and the girls.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked with narrowed eyes.

Her mother glanced at her before answering. "Ever wonder why I'm with Ares rather than my actual husband? Well it's simple. He prefers his little toys and trinkets rather than me. I spent decades trying to get his attention but he hardly noticed. Maybe once or twice when he bothered to bed me to scratch my itch but that was it. So then I decided that if he wasn't going to pay attention, then I would simply find love somewhere else."

"But … can being with Ares really be considered love?" Piper asked gently, not knowing how to go about this with an angry mother.

"Better than what it was before, that's for sure," her mom muttered before looking intently at her. "But you're on the same path. Sure, Jason might be more attentive than Hephaestus ever was but in the end he'll choose work over you … so again, why bother waiting?"

"But you don't know that for sure," Piper said in a weak tone, trying to convince herself more than anything.

Aphrodite gave a very unlady-like snort at that before saying, "And yet he already chose remaining mortal and his duty over being happy with eternity with you as a god. Sure, I approved at first just because he included you in his request but look how that turned out. You're here with me, rather than in the arms of your oh-so-loving boyfriend while he's off playing the knight in shining armor. And why bother anyways!? The wars are over, Gaea is gone and with her the Giants could never regain the power they once had and Kronos is spread so thin he won't reform for millennia, not to mention that our forces are larger and stronger than ever so why the hell remain to 'protect' a camp capable of doing that for themselves!? It's not like there's another war coming or anything."

Piper flinched as her mother said that, knowing she was right in part. Jason had chosen duty like a true roman. She remembered when she had asked him what he wanted to do if they won the war and his first answer as continuing to serve New Rome by finding and protecting demigods. Only after he noticed that she hadn't exactly gotten too excited with his idea did he add that he would love it if she joined him. Honestly she just wanted to be done with the whole monsters-prophecies-living-extreme lifestyle but she'd chosen him for love … but had she made the right choice?

Seeing her face her mom pressed on, "You don't want to spend your life waiting around for him … and who knows, maybe he'll rescue some cutie that wasn't claimed until later and have his own 'fun' with her."

"Jason wouldn't do that!" Piper snapped at her mother but all it got her was a raised eyebrow.

"I'll leave the track record for the sons of Zeus to point that out, though the original Perseus was the exception to that but I doubt you'll get that lucky with Jason," Aphrodite added bitterly.

"Y-you really t-think so?" Piper asked as she bordered on tears.

Seeing her face Aphrodite leaned closer and cupped her cheek before speaking in a soothing voice, "Hey, hey … none of that now. Don't worry about it okay? You're my favored daughter, one of the heroines of Olympus, you could have any man, god or otherwise, if you wanted. So don't go holding your breath for one cute blonde and live! If Jason shapes up, then great! And if not, no sweat off your back. Now let's turn you into a woman!" she finished with a cheer.

Her mother's suddenly happy attitude was contagious as Piper rubbed the few tears away before smiling. Her mom was right! She'd face some of the worst monsters and evil gods to date, why should she be scared of one guy disappointing her? She didn't need to be waiting around for someone that wasn't even really there for her.

"Time to spread some love, Aphrodite style," her mom said with a wink but suddenly went pale as she held her temple.

"Mom?" Piper asked in concern as she stepped closer.

"Oh I'm fine sweetie … just feeling a little dizzy is all," her mom replied but Piper persisted.

"Are you sure? You've been having those headaches for a few hours already today."

"Maybe I got a bad batch of ambrosia or something," her mother muttered before snapping her fingers.

A little necklace with a tiny heart gem attached appeared in her hand. She put it on Piper before she could say anything about it.

"That's a little something for me to keep track of you. I'm going to my palace and getting something to clear my head… Oh! And here," she said as she tapped Piper on the forehead, making her glow pink for a moment. "Took away those meddlesome inhibitions of yours so get a move on! If I don't come back by the time you have some hunk with you, just crush the gem and you'll flash back home. Make sure to use the mist to cover up the teleportation though, tata~" her mother said before walking off across the dance floor and out of the club.

Piper watched her go before sighing while glancing down at the necklace. ' _Well … I'm already here so might as well. It's not like Jason will be back early anyways,'_ she thought bitterly before looking across the club and seeing a handsome blonde with the deepest set of blue eyes she'd ever seen. He gave her a grin as their eyes locked on each other and she smiled back shyly. He started walking her way and she couldn't help but lick her lips slightly as she noticed his toned body. ' _Definitely going after this one …'_

* * *

 **A Couple of Hours Later**

Andromeda stood shocked at the events unfolding. She'd listened in to Jason and Nico's conversation for a good while and had felt suspicious when he said that Piper had been rather tense with him lately. Now that she was close, Andromeda could feel it … the slowly dying love and growing lust. Piper had loved Jason but it seemed that with the distance and influence of Aphrodite that love had wilted slowly. Her inner rage grew at the love goddess as Andromeda watched helplessly as Jason had his heart broken right in front of him.

She felt as if she herself had been stroke when his heart broke and could already feel tears building in her eyes. He didn't deserve this, no one did. Were the Olympians so lost in their ways that they even tried to destroy their own heroes just to get what they want? It was clear to her from what she'd heard Jason say before that Zeus had enlisted Apollo to help break him up from Piper, seeing as she was probably one of his actual reasons for remaining mortal … the possibility of someday passing and going on to Elysium after his duty as a guardian had been finished.

Like Percy, they didn't want to lose another of their great heroes, again they were insulted because their offered rewards were rejected, and again their pride escaped them to lead to these tragedies. Just watching all this made Andromeda so angry she wanted to find Aphrodite and skin her alive along with the other heartbreakers! With those thoughts she watched in awed surprise as Jason let loose a lightning coated fist.

It was so sudden Apollo didn't have time to react as the fist met his nose, a satisfying crunching sound following but Jason wasn't anywhere near done. He let fist after fist fly in an angry rage, Nico standing by silently as he watched while Piper screamed for him to stop. After the fifteenth blow Jason kicked Apollo in the gut, knocking him back into the villa before he turned around, tears still streaming down his face.

They stood in silence, looking between the groaning form of Apollo and Jason. Then, in a voice so broken that Andromeda wanted to run up and hug him, Jason spoke.

"Get out … I don't want to see you again … Piper Mclean."

"Jason … why?" Piper had the gall to ask as she looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"I shouldn't have to even explain my reasoning spawn of love," Jason retorted harshly without looking back at her.

"But I need you and … y-you need … me," she choked out while looking at his back.

"I won't miss one. Typical. Love. Spawn," Jason replied with clenched fists but Andromeda could see the pain in his eyes as he said every word, more for himself than anything.

"N-Nico?" Piper begged as she looked to the silent Ghost King.

He didn't deem her worthy of words as he simply shook his head and turned away. Piper started to cry again but Andromeda wasn't paying attention to her. What she was paying attention to was the recovering Apollo as he wiped some ichor off his lips while glaring at his half-brother's back. Then, in seconds Apollo summoned a golden dagger and rushed for Jason. Andromeda's eyes widened as she watched, knowing that Jason wouldn't react in time … so she made a choice.

Dashing forward she all but materialized between the two as her mist illusion dropped and Jason turned around in surprise along with Nico. Andromeda ignored their looks as she slapped Apollo's wrist making the dagger veer off as he looked at her in shock. She didn't wait as she used her other hand to smash a fist into Apollo's temple while griping his outstretched wrist so he wouldn't get out of reach. With the sun god stunned Andromeda let a little vindictiveness slip through as she grabbed ahold of Apollo's shirt.

At the same time her knee shut up … right into his groin hard enough to lift him several inches off the ground. She caught Jason and Nico hissing in empathetic pain but she focused more on Apollo's stuck pig squeal. She followed up with a fist to his gut making him double over before another knee met his face, breaking his nose further. With one last sucker punch she knocked his ass out, making him drop like a string-less puppet.

Silence reigned as the three demigods looked at her in shock but she didn't have time to answer questions now so she rushed to Piper, gave her a sharp blow to the head to knock her out as well and sent a quick prayer to Mnemosyne to clear both their memories to the point she came in. With that she spun around and grabbed both Jason and Nico's shoulders before they could react and shadow traveled with them out of New Rome.

They landed in a sprawling mess of limbs in a park centered in San Francisco but luckily it was empty at the moment. She quickly detangled herself from them and took a step back as they got up and looked at her wearily. After a few seconds of silence Nico broke the silence.

"Who are you?" he asked as he eyed her up and down while Jason looked for possible escape routes should things go south.

She knew both were unarmed so they were right to be cautious but she tried to give them a disarming smile while showing she didn't have any weapons in her hands … the bracelet on her wrist though was another matter.

"Easy there … I was just trying to help," she said softy.

"Why?" Jason asked with narrowed eyes. "And how did you do that to Apollo? I threw some serious juice into my punches and all I got out of it was a broken nose and some bruising."

"Well I'm a lot stronger so it wasn't that hard," she replied honestly but it didn't seem to make them feel any more secure. "Look, I don't mean either of you harm. In fact I might even have an offer you might like if you're interested?"

"An offer?" Nico asked with a quirked eyebrow. "What kind of offer?"

"And why do you think we'd do anything for you? How do we even know if you aren't someone who's after Olympus?" Jason added while his fingers crackled with electricity.

"Because I am against Olympus and after what you just saw, are you really willing to fight on the side of the gods?" Andromeda countered before sighing. "Look, you can come with me and hear me out if you want or not at all, it's up to you. If not … I'll be going," she said as she half turned to get ready to shadow travel back to the House of Night.

"Wait!" Nico said before she could leave. "… Who are you?"

Andy bit her lip as she thought about the reply. She wasn't supposed to reveal herself yet but maybe it could get Nico and Jason's trust. But, didn't the gods say she died? Then they would think she is a liar and they would attack which would mean knocking them out and having Mnemosyne clear their memories as well. Taking a leap of faith she exhaled before facing them fully.

"My name is Andromeda Jackson, younger sister of Percy Jackson," she said in a grave voice while Jason and Nico gapped at her.

To add some validity to her statement she willed the disguise she had on to change, revealing her natural hair and eye color to them.

"B-but … they said you died," Jason said in a small voice.

"She didn't," Nico cut in as he looked at her closely while Jason's gave him a questioning look. Nico glanced at him before explaining, "The gods lied. The Jackson family was murdered by your sister's mistress and Andromeda was kidnapped … however, a few years ago, Andromeda disappeared along with a wolf and girl that had infiltrated the hunt. But that doesn't explain how you're this old now," Nico finished.

"I can explain it all somewhere safer. It will only be a matter of time before Apollo comes to and looks for us or worse, gets help from other Olympians," she said as she noted how the night had only a few hours left and with the day Apollo would be significantly stronger. "Look, you'll just have to trust me and I'll bring you to him."

"Him?" both demigods asked at the same time making Andy smirk.

"Why, my brother of course …"

* * *

 **Present Time**

"And that's how we got here," Andromeda finished while glancing around the large table.

They all sat together in the dining room table, having discussed everything that's happened in the last several years (decades in case of Percy and his sister) to their newest guests. Nyx and Tartarus (his arrival caused near heart attacks for several) sat at the head of the table. Percy, Rhea, and Andromeda sat to their right side in that order with Medusa, Lamia, Nico, and Jason sat on the opposite side. Eros, Phanes, and Mnemosyne, a rather short woman with dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes, sat near the other end. It took a while to settle down the demigods and monster women to the point they wouldn't shoot dirty glares at each other.

Percy sighed in slight annoyance as he looked at his sister, wondering why she would take such a risk but in the end it might have tuned out to their advantage. Now Jason knew the full truth since Nico had apparently known but chose to remain silent rather than risk the danger of the gods trying to silence him. Jason had been shocked to the core when they told him and tried to deny it several times but after Percy, Nyx, and Andromeda taking oaths of honesty, he was forced to believe them.

Percy was feeling for him though, especially when he heard about what happened with Piper and he couldn't help but compare it to what happened with Hercules. It seemed that even the sons of Zeus weren't safe from the scheming and manipulations of the gods. Now he had to ask the question that was on his and Nyx's mind, but would Jason, the ever loyal roman, do it?

"Jason … Nico," Percy started, getting their attention. "You have a choice to make now. You can either side with Olympus and we'll wipe your memories before sending you back, you can stay neutral and even seek shelter from us when the time comes … or you can fight with us. Choice is yours."

They remained silent for some time, the air tense, before Jason slowly looked at Percy dead in the eyes and ask, "So you really did all that? Disowning your father, running away with next to nothing and all before coming down here, without even knowing if you weren't being used?"

Percy looked back at him intently, seeing the unrest within his brother in arms, before speaking, "Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith. I might not have had anything to guarantee there weren't ulterior motives, which there were in a way, but at the end of the day, I followed my instincts and what my heart said was right. My true family was murdered or taken from me by those I fought for and I can't let that fate be repeated to countless more demigods and mortals alike. Someone needed to take a stand … so I did."

Jason scrunched his eyebrows in thought while Nico looked down at his own hands, the atmosphere getting oppressively quiet as several sets of eyes watched them intently. After what felt like an eternity Jason shot up in his chair, making several started and Medusa reached for her shades by reflex, however what Jason did next shocked them.

"I, Jason Grace, renounce all blood ties Zeus, King of the Gods," he intoned and with it a loud thunder crack sealed the oath as he suddenly slumped, looking incredibly tired as he sat back down.

Everyone watched silently as the former son of Zeus took a moment to catch his breath before looking directly into Percy's eyes.

"I fight for family and the Olympians are no family of mine," he said with his now pale blue eyes.

Percy cracked him a grin while nodding gratefully before he looked to Nico. The son of Hades looked back at him before speaking evenly, "You're against Olympus, not the demigods, right?"

"Yeah," Percy answered while glancing at Nyx. "We may want some allies but we won't force any demigod to pick a side. If they remain neutral, great. If they try to join, we'll allow it under some conditions. And if they oppose us on the battlefield, then they've made their choice and we will face them as any other opponents."

Nico looked at him critically as he said that, judging him and his cause. Then, with a faint smile, he nodded.

"Then I'm in too but …" he said while looking around the table. "… Let's try to get some of our friends here too. My father and Lady Hestia aren't like the rest of the Olympians and deserve a chance to join or remain neutral in all this."

"Already in the works," Nyx said in her smooth but commanding voice. "But with your help, convincing your father will be far easier. As for Hestia, we'll have to wait until Percy and Andromeda are closer to being full Primordial beings but that shouldn't take long."

"Can we also try to bring others like Thalia, Frank, Hazel, Leo, and Calypso?" Jason asked.

"I can try and sneak into the Hunt to visit Thalia. She deserves to know the full truth now," Nico added. "… and Will, got to tell him too."

"This will help," Tartarus said in his deep voice as Jason and Nico glowed a dark light for a second. At their questioning looks Tartarus explained. "Just a minor blessing. The poisonous air of the Pit won't harm you and you're free to use any means of travel in and out of the Pit."

"How does that work with lightning teleportation?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tartarus just shrugged but Percy could tell he was amused by the idea of it.

"I can help Jason reach Frank and Hazel undetected," Andromeda offered, making Percy raise an eyebrow at her … but she didn't catch his look.

"Okay then, there is another I want to try and visit to see if they'll come along," Percy said as he got up. "Now let's move on to removing some curses."

Medusa and Lamia perked up at that, both eagerly standing along with just about everyone at the table.

"Huh, well look at that," Nico muttered while eyeing Percy, "the commander's up and everyone follows. Jeez Percy, ever not in the spot light?" he jabbed making Percy grin.

"Hey, when you got it, you got it," he replied with a lazy shrug before wrapping an arm around Rhea's waist.

"I can't wait to see the Olympians' faces when they find out Lady Rhea is dating the Hero of Olympus," Medusa snickered while Lamia giggled beside her.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Rhea said easily before giving Percy a kiss on the cheek.

"Well," Jason coughed awkwardly as he glanced at the couple. "As much fun as it is seeing the lovebirds flirt, I do believe we have some things to do now, yes?"

"Yeah," Percy agreed, realizing that the couple stuff was probably a sour point for Jason at the moment. "So let's head out to—"

He never got to finish as two bright flashes illuminated the room, making just about everyone have to cover their eyes for a moment, even Medusa with her shades. Once the light died down they looked to see two new guests standing before them.

One was a tall man dressed in a pure white suite and equally white hair cut short, with fair skin and light build. His face was clean shaved, with high cheek bones and intense, sky blue eyes with glowing white pupils. Next to him stood a woman with platinum blonde hair radiating warmth with glowing white eyes, irises and all, dressed in a sky blue pencil skirt, tight, white buttoned shirt with a button or two undone, thigh-high white socks leading to high heels. Together they pulled a very 'hot CEO and his secretary' look as their skin literally glowed softly.

It took Percy a moment to recognize the deities but when he did, he couldn't help but be curious as to why they suddenly decided to come. They were usually in the Palace of the Sky with Ouranus rather than grace the House of Night with their presence. However, it was Nyx who broke the silence as she greeted the arrivals with hugs.

"Hemera … Aether, how are you?"

"Hello mother," Aether started as he returned a brief hug which Hemera followed suite.

"We've come because we thought it was time," Hemera said next while standing beside Aether's side.

"And that would be?" Andromeda asked curiously as she looked at the two protogenoi.

Both turned their heads to look at Jason before answering together, "To find our heir …"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Yes! More Protogenoi! I swear each chapter just gets me that more excited and I hope all of you are too!**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	11. Coming Together

**Author's Note: Your reviews drive me! Another chapter up and the plot thickens by the sentence. I hope everyone is thoroughly enjoying and let me know what you think!**

 **PS. For one or two reviewers that I can't answer directly, sorry about that just that I can't access the reviews at the moment due to a sight error but my email still lets me see most of them. Thanks to all reviewers, you guys make me a better author!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot.**

* * *

"To find our heir …"

Everyone stood stock silent as they looked between Jason and the couple of protogenoi. Percy for his part was rather surprised at the turn of events. For one, he hadn't even been counting on ever adding Jason to their ranks but at least getting him to bow out of the fight. Now not only was he willingly joining but he'd been offered to become an heir for _two_ protogenoi. He thought that was an odd case only for him and his sister. He, because of all the different curses and blessings he'd endured had strengthened his body to the point it could tolerate the combined power of Erebus and Nyx, twins and second children of Lady Chaos, while rejecting the blood of Poseidon and removing Gaea's power left the necessary space for it … otherwise he could have spontaneously combusted from power overload with just their blessings. His sister was in a similar boat with the minor blessing from Artemis and the combined domains of Eros and Phanes wasn't necessarily a domain of raw power like many of the other protogenoi.

But for Jason to have the potential to absorb the power of Day, Light, and Upper Atmosphere without the additional temperament of some curses or major blessings was impressive. That and it was funny that Ouranus didn't come running to claim him first or something. After a few minutes of silence Jason broke it with a stuttering, "w-what!?"

"You heard us," Aether said without missing a beat. "We want you to become our heir."

"So do you accept?" Hemera continued with a cute tilt of the head.

"I …" Jason looked a little overwhelmed to even think about it properly, luckily Nyx came to his rescue.

"Okay, hold on for a second. Give the boy a few minutes, he just got here," Nyx said while stepping beside Jason and putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Just think on it for a while, maybe even sleep on it. There are already guest rooms prepared for you and Nico so no rush." She then turned to Percy, "While he digests the offer, let's get to Medusa and Lamia. Tartarus, will you help us with this one?"

"Might as well, otherwise you two might take forever," Tartarus muttered as he walked for the exit, completely ignoring the tongue Nyx was sticking out at him.

Percy chuckled as he soon followed after with the others filing along to watch. It took a few minutes but they soon were out in the same courtyard with the familiar white oak tree in the center. He heard their new guests gasp and awe at the sight making him puff out his chest proudly … only for Rhea to elbow him playfully. He grinned at her before stepping beside Tartarus and Nyx before turning to face Medusa and Lamia as the pair stopped in front of them.

Rhea and the others stood off to the side silently as they watched on. Percy then glanced at Nyx to see if she would start things off. She gave him a nod before doing just that while looking at the two monster woman. "Medusa, before we begin I need you to remove your shades and shawl." She raised her hand before Medusa could protest. "You should already know that your curse won't affect a primordial or even a demi-primordial fully."

Medusa sighed before nodding as she took off her shades first before slowly removing her shawl to reveal the nest of brown pit vipers that made up her hair. Percy felt the familiar pain course through him and now he realized why Nyx wanted Tartarus to help. It was so that he could still be a part of lifting the curse to ensure loyalty from both women while also to cover in case Percy loses concentration from the pain.

Nyx soon raised her hand, aiming her palm at the women and Percy mirrored her actions along with Tartarus. Nyx softly counted to three before they focused their power into their palms and then shot three mixed rays of dark power at Medusa and Lamia. They immediately crumpled to their knees and screamed in agony but Percy and the others didn't stop. He could actually feel the power of their curses fighting back against him, desperately trying to cling on to the essence of the monster women like parasites. They kept focused though, meticulously flushing out the traces of Olympian energy out of them while also not destroying them in the process.

For an hour they stood there, their audience enraptured into the spectacle as Medusa and Lamia's screams grew weaker and weaker. Then, finally the dark energy dissipated from the two previously monster women panting on the ground. Percy also buckled to one knee after having spent a far larger amount of power than he had expected. ' _Those curses were dug in tight,'_ he grumbled as he panted, Rhea and Andromeda already at his side looking at him in concern. He sent them a small smile for reassurance as he forced himself to his feet and glanced at Nyx.

She had a light sweat but otherwise looked fine, Tartarus looking immaculate as well. He then looked at the women and blushed at the sight. He wasn't sure why or how but apparently removing curses includes destroying clothes leaving Medusa and Lamia as bare as the days they were born. He would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate the sight. Medusa's coppery skin with a generous bust, wide hips, and now her dark brown, nearly black hair with glowing green eyes.

Lamia as well with the addition of mile-long _human_ legs complementing her naturally beautiful face and bright blue eyes. He would have kept staring but Rhea huffed beside him while slapping her hand over his eyes while muttering 'men'. Andromeda giggled to his other side while he just stayed silent. He then heard the ruffle of cloth before Rhea removed her hand, letting him see that both women were now covered in black cloaks provided by Nyx. He glanced to the side and saw Eros chuckling as Jason stared straight up while blushing and as for Nico … he looked kinda bored.

After everyone settled down Medusa and Lamia looked at themselves before beaming at Percy with tears in their eyes. They soon rushed forward to tackle him into a hug, all the while screaming 'Thank you!' over and over again. He chuckled at that before returning a brief hug. Once they got back Nyx cleared her throat before looking at Medusa and Lamia intently.

"Now ladies, just so you know we didn't remove the curses completely."

"What!?" Medusa said in surprise but Nyx raised a hand to keep her quiet before continuing.

"The curses have been there for so long that they are practically part of your very essence. We removed enough so that you can control them at will now. Medusa, you can focus on when you want to turn someone to stone and even reverse it if you do by accident … as long as you do it within about 3 minutes, otherwise their goners. As for Lamia, you won't hunger after children anymore and you can will your legs to change along with retaining all the senses you had before."

Medusa and Lamia took a moment to digest that before smiling while nodding.

"Now the choice is yours if you want to fight or live peacefully. As you are now the gods won't be able to find you or even recognize you," Percy added while looking between the pair.

Medusa and Lamia glanced at each other before nodding together while looking back at Percy and saying, "We'll fight by your side!"

"Great!" Nyx chirped as she looked at Medusa. "I've been needing someone to teach my fighting style to."

"What about me?" Lamia asked while pointing at herself.

"Mmmm …" Nyx hummed while looking her up and down. "I could help train you to be Medusa's partner. You're good with archery right?"

Lamia nodded to that and Nyx smiled back. "Then you'll be trained as a specialized scouting pair I'll train and when the time is right, Percy will give you minor blessings to let you shadow travel at will and blend in better with the darkness."

"Why me? You could bless them now," Percy questioned as he looked at Nyx.

"Because when I pass, so does my blessing," Nyx replied offhandedly.

"Oh."

"So … what now?" Andromeda asked while looking around.

"How about some rest?" Rhea asked eagerly. "It's been an eventful day and honestly I think everyone is physically or emotionally tired so sleep please."

Nyx looked like she wanted to argue that, ever the one to get things done quickly even if she wasn't feeling her best but apparently thought better of it as she nodded.

"Fine go rest …" everyone gave a relieved sigh at that but Nyx had more to say. "… But I expect everyone up early tomorrow! Percy, you have some more chatting to do along with Nico visiting Thalia and Jason, you can make a trip to Frank and Hazel after you talk with Hemera and Aether about their offer. As for Medusa and Lamia … well, pray to Lady Chaos because your training starts," she finished with an ominous giggle making the two women gulp nervously.

Percy felt for them, he really did, but at the moment he was too tired to offer support. So, he gave Rhea a lazy wink before he wrapped her in his arms and shadow traveled to their room, leaving a fussy sister behind since they 'forgot' her again. They just liked being a little more 'cuddly' before going to sleep and it was awkward if Andy was there for it. Sneaking in later when both were asleep already was fine though.

So with that, the pair arrived and Rhea snapped her fingers, instantly changing them into their preferred sleepwear which consisted of only baggy pants for Percy and a shirt and panties for Rhea. They quickly got into the sheets, his arms wrapped protectively around her as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck. She then leaned up to give him a quick kiss before murmuring, "Love you," and then shifting back down so that her head rested on his chest.

"Love you too," he returned before kissing the top of her head before slowly closing his eyes and letting the toils of the day lol him to sleep …

* * *

 **Next Morning**

"So … what is your decision?" Aether asked as he sat across from Jason.

Percy watched the exchange closely while providing some moral support for his friend. They'd gotten up early like Nyx wanted and as punishment for sneaking off, Andromeda was forced to join Medusa and Lamia for the first day of training, the physical evaluations. Percy shuddered at the thought, knowing Nyx had less mercy than Tartarus when it came to training. As for Nico, he left to track down the Hunt for the day with Rhea going as support in case he gets found. Unlikely since Rhea was a master at using the shadow power granted to her from Nyx's charm to hide her presence and one or two others completely once night time fell.

As for Percy, Jason asked him to remain since everyone else was gone and he was pretty nervous about the whole thing. Percy agreed easily and after a slight chewing out from Nyx about procrastinating his search, she agreed as well. ' _Moms, always so pushy,'_ he mused as he waited for Jason to answer Aether. For a few minutes no one spoke until Jason asked softly, "Why me?"

Aether's normally schooled expression softened as he glanced at his wife while she in turn gave him an understanding smile as she focused on Jason.

"It is because, like Percy, you are a hero that has conquered his flaw and fights for justice, not for his own goals or glory," she said softly.

"Conquering my flaw?" Jason parroted as he looked at her questioningly.

"Yes," she hummed before explaining, "Most children of Zeus suffer from either incredible arrogance or pride. You however have been tempering that pride for years through your own efforts. You grew up from practically nothing in the weakest cohort of the legion. You grew into a leader but always trusted and respected your friends, making them naturally loyal to you yet you never took advantage of that. You even conceded the lead of the quest to Percy during the Giant war. You didn't know him personally, you didn't have any reason to trust him with so much authority and yet, you did. You became brothers through hardship and saved this era. And last of all, you turned down godhood just to keep protecting the fellow demigods you care so much for."

Jason remained silent as Hemera spoke of his accomplishments with such respect and admiration, her eyes seemingly glowing brighter with every word.

"You're strong, courageous, loyal, and just while also controlling your own pride for the greater good, even going as far as to denying the glory you could so easily take. After all, for years you've said no to Zeus' constant offers of immortality and riches but you still remained firm with the choice you made on that day at the end of the war. You're everything Aether and I could hope for in an heir, Jason Grace."

"So …" Aether took up as he looked straight into Jason's eyes. "Will you become our heir and strive to the better future?"

All sets of eyes were on Jason now as he looked down at his own hands for a while. Percy wished he could see what he was thinking but he kept himself from asking as he silently watched. This was a big decision and Percy had several days, a war, and several betrayals on his mind when he made his choice but everything was still rather fresh for Jason, so how would he choose? Suddenly Jason balled his hands into fists as he got up, looking at Hemera and Aether with a fire burning in his eyes.

"I'll do it," he spoke firmly, earning a grin from Aether and bright smile from Hemera.

"Wonderful!" Hemera cheered as the two protogenoi got up and circled around to stand on Jason's sides.

"Are you ready?" Aether asked to which Jason nodded.

"This will feel funny," Hemera commented as both protogenoi put a hand on each of Jason's shoulders.

Jason was then encompassed in a bright glow making Percy squint for a moment before it died down and saw the results. Jason stood an inch taller, his muscles more defined yet still lean. His hair had grown slightly from the short military cut to slightly more casual length, also turning a bright, platinum blonde like Hemera with white tips to match Aether. His eyes though had gone from a pale blue to glowing sky blue with literal white electricity coursing through the irises and pure white pupils.

"Ooh," Hemera hummed as she looked at him approvingly. "Now the pair of you really are storm and fire."

Percy chuckled at Hemera's comparison while Jason inspected himself in a mirror Aether conjured up.

"Not bad," he commented earning an incredulous look from Hemera.

"What do you mean? You're going to be a heartbreaker with those looks," Hemera protested making Jason wince at the heartbreaker part. "Oh … sorry."

"It's okay," Jason sighed as he set the mirror down.

Aether then cleared his throat to get their attention.

"If that is all for now, I think it best you come with us to the Palace of the Sky for now to get familiar with the environment. After all, you need some more light and the Pit is a bit … lacking in such regards."

Percy snorted at that description before asking, "So you'll bring him back tomorrow or take him directly to Frank and Hazel's?"

"We could but didn't your sister want to come along?" Hemera returned casually.

"I suppose," Percy muttered but he still wasn't that comfortable with his sister being in the mortal world without him or Rhea around. She had a habit of finding trouble since she was his sister after all and with her current track record, he wouldn't be surprised if they kept getting unexpected arrivals with her every trip.

"Hey man, don't worry okay," Jason said reassuringly. "I'll keep a guard up and the gods don't really visit them that much from what I hear aside from Hades during the eve of the Winter Solstice. I'll keep her safe for yah."

"You do realize she can kick your butt wearing a blind fold right?" Hemera asked while trying and failing to stifle her giggles.

Jason blushed in slight embarrassment but Percy appreciated the gesture. He clapped Jason on the shoulder before giving him the thumbs up. "Sure, I'll let her know that you'll return tomorrow to pick her up but you'd better bring her back the same way she left."

"Dude, you sound like her dad," Jason muttered while looking at him curiously.

"Honestly I feel like it half the time too," Percy said with a shrug. "Can you blame me though? I was already 25 when I brought her here at 6 years old. Between me, Rhea, and Nyx we raised her so sometimes I can't help but call her my little girl."

"And the whole sneaking into yours and Rhea's room? I find that a little odd considering she's what, in her twenties now?" Jason asked.

"Power of hers," Percy replied while running a hand through his hair. "Like Aphrodite but instead of appearance she'll change to an age matching the kind of love she feels. In case when she sneaks into our room, she's usually in the form of a 5 year old so it's like our daughter sneaking in to sleep with her parents or a little sister with her older siblings. That one's my fault by the way, I kinda spoiled her when she first got here and letting her sleep in my bed was a big thing with her."

Jason chuckled at his explanation before smiling at him. "Just sounds like an overly dotting big brother to me. Nothing really wrong with that though so I won't judge or anything, I was just curious."

"So …" Aether muttered as he looked at a watch that Percy didn't recall seeing there before. "Are we going or what?"

"Fine," Percy replied with an eye roll while pushing Jason towards the waiting couple. "Get going. Some of us have work to do," he added with a smirk.

"Oh ha-ha," Jason muttered before Hemera grabbed his shoulder and the three flashed away while Percy looked away.

He could see the divine forms of gods safely now but until he becomes full primordial, he still needs to look away from any primordial flashing. Once they were gone Percy sighed as he looked at the empty dining room.

"Well … off to more business," he mumbled before dissolving into shadow …

* * *

 **With Nico**

"So they're just over that ridge near the creek," Rhea said with a point.

Nico nodded beside her before looking up at the sky. It was still midday and they needed to wait several hours before it would be safe for Nico to shadow travel into the Hunt. For now though, Rhea had manipulated the mist to hide them from sight with a tiny barrier in case of a god searching their area. It was unlikely though since right now Apollo was somewhere in California looking for him and Jason or on Olympus and Artemis only gets on guard at night.

 _'_ _My how things have changed in barely 24 hours,'_ he mused as they settled down in the shade of a sycamore tree and waited out the day. Never would he have thought that he'd be reunited with Percy, by his own missing sister even, and now officially turning his back on Olympus. Sure, he still had to try and convince his father to either side with them or remain neutral but that in itself could spell a lot of trouble. For one, if Persephone is involved, would she go straight to Olympus and warn her mother? That could be disastrous if the Olympians realized there was a threat too soon.

For that reason he'd told Nyx that he planned on waiting until after the last day of summer where Persephone would be trapped in the Underworld would be the day he tells his father to run the lowest risk. With that issue on the standby, now he had to focus on Thalia and how to go about telling her the truth. He knew things hadn't been easy for her throughout the years since Percy disappeared and then with the death of Phoebe and Andromeda's kidnapping, things in the Hunt have only gotten tenser.

Artemis is even crueler to men now, if it were possible, and even new maidens are looked at with suspicion to the point no new prospects have lasted longer than a week before saying that they didn't want to stay. That didn't do anything for the mood of the Hunt at all and even a pin dropping could get a violent response out of them. That could work as a double edge for him. It could be easier to convince Thalia, an already difficult feat for someone who is incredibly loyal, but at the same time if he is discovered there is only fighting and running away, no chance of talking things out.

' _Still got to try and hope for the best,'_ he thought as he allowed his eyes to close as he relaxed. He knew Rhea wouldn't let her guard down when near the Hunt and would react if anything dangerous came by so he felt relatively at ease to get some rest. His last sight before he passed into the realm of Morpheus was Rhea sitting comfortably against another tree opposite him while weaving some blades of grass.

He didn't know how long he'd slept but when Rhea shook him awake he started slightly before looking around. It was well into the night and the stars were out, creating larger shadows all around as the atmosphere became nice and cool. He glanced at Rhea to see her looking at the ridge again before she said, "the goddess left for her chariot an hour ago. Use the opening to get to Thalia's tent. I'll cast a silencing spell over it so don't worry about getting loud."

"Okay," he replied softly before willing the shadows to envelop him.

In just a few seconds he materialized near a familiar presence … and a silver knife at his throat. He didn't move as his eyes rolled to the side, meeting a pair of electric blue eyes looking at him intently.

"Hi…?" he said weakly, still feeling the fine edge barely grazing his throat.

Thalia kept staring for a few seconds before she sighed while lowering the knife.

"What are you doing here Nico?" she asked as she plopped down on her bed. Nico would have done the same but knew Thalia was tense … and about to get more so, so he kept his distance for his own safety.

Also, only now did he notice the state of her dress or more like undress. Black panties and overly tight shirt displaying an impressive bosom for a 15 year old, but then again it was him and Thalia didn't usually care if she was seen like this. He waited for a few tense seconds before trying to break the ice.

"Thalia …" he said softly, making her look up at him. "I need to tell you something … something big."

"What?" Thalia asked curiously as she leaned forward.

"Just … don't freak out and let me finish before you say anything," he started before going on.

He told her everything, from the week Percy disappeared and how his father told him the gods' plans and what they did to Percy's family to finding Piper cheating on Jason with Apollo. Every detail he knew he covered, giving nothing but the whole truth. When he finally finished several hours had passed, letting himself sit down on the floor after releasing a tired sigh. He looked at Thalia who was stock still and extremely pale as she looked down at her own trembling hands. He could see the levels of pain and betrayal passing through her eyes with every revelation, especially the painful ones about Artemis. Sally had been like the mother none of them had when they visited with Percy and the news of her death had been especially hard for Thalia.

He knew she'd tried her best to turn a blind eye to the cruelty of the Hunt in their treatment of men. To try and fit in to a family that had changed from what it was when she originally joined … or maybe it always was that way and she didn't fully realize it. Like Jason, he knew Thalia wouldn't be able to make a decision right now so he slowly got up and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know this is a lot to take in right now Thals so don't try to decide anything, just sleep on it," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar black marble. He placed it in one of her hands before slowly closing it, his hands cupping hers together. "If you do decide you want to leave, crush the marble and it will take you to us," he instructed before taking a step back.

"Are … you leaving now?" she asked weakly as she looked at him with trembling eyes.

"You know I would love to stay but it's too dangerous for me or any male here," he returned while giving her a sad smile. "But you know I'm never that far and your family, your _real_ family will always have your back even if you don't want to fight. It's merely up to you."

With those final words he dissolved into the shadows, leaving his cousin to settle her own thoughts. He knew if anyone could get through this, it would be her. She had the resilience for it and would always come back stronger but in the end, she needed to decide on her own for herself. Fight for the side of the Olympians full hypocrisy and deceit or turn traitor and fight with the family that has actually been there by her side.

* * *

A soft breeze passed through a large island, the trees swaying slightly with it as the night sky remained clear. On a sandy beach the shadows writhed and crawled to one point before condensing into one figure, soon dispersing to reveal Percy. He glanced around before sighting as he stretched his back, earning some satisfying cracks making him groan.

"Man, took forever to find this damn island," he grumbled as he looked up at the beach and towards a path leading into the island's forest. "Well, hopefully the little archers aren't monitoring the island right now even if the moon is up."

He was on Delos, one of the fabled lost islands of Greek mythology. Unlike Ogygia, which had a curse meant to only deter mortals from finding it and prevent heroes from ever visiting more than once, Delos could only be reached by a god who's set foot there before. Otherwise they have to search for it the old fashioned way … like Percy had for several hours, and the clincher, the damn island moved! He'd practically covered every inch of the Mare Nostrum while trying to feel out the strong magical presence of Delos. Turns out this time it was parked out near the Turkish peninsula.

Percy quickly went up to the forest and walked through the dirt path, letting him observe the lush forest filled with the sounds of insects and some game. It took him a few minutes until he arrived to a clearing in the island and looked across it. He spotted two figures sitting near a fire speaking to each other softly while sipping what looked like tea. He quietly walked to them, his hood pulled up to hide his features even though neither of these two knew him personally. Soon enough he was close enough that he stopped and cleared his throat to get their attention.

They both snapped their heads to look at him in surprise, jumping up while one of the woman drew a dagger from her waist while the other stepped back. He raised his hands while speaking softly, "Peace. I've only come to talk."

Neither looked particularly at ease with that but he shrugged it off as he lowered his arms while taking in their appearances. One was fair skinned with auburn hair and dark blue eyes, dressed in a Greek chiton that reached just past her knees. The other one with the knife had black hair and strikingly amber eyes, her nearly mocha skin adding even more contrast to her eyes. She was dressed slightly more modern, with a green, spaghetti strap dress and casual sandals. One was Leto, Titaness of Motherhood, and mother of the twins. The other with the dagger was the original Phoebe, Titaness of Bright Intellect and Prophecy.

"Who are you?" Phoebe asked suspiciously while aiming her dagger at him.

"One who comes with an offer … and a warning," Percy replied gravely while his eyes glowed brightly under his hood making both titans shuffle nervously. Percy let the silence hang around for a moment before speaking softly. "Phoebe, I come with an offer for you. I am in need of someone who has a link to foresight and not allied with the gods."

"You're against Olympus!?" Phoebe asked in surprise while Leto narrowed her eyes. "A mere demigod with an eye trick? Ha! You might as well either turn yourself in already or crawl back into whatever pit you came from."

' _Oh the irony.'_

"What makes you any different than my foolish siblings or the Giants? They've already failed again and probably won't get any more chances in the next millennia. Face it, the Olympians are here to stay," Phoebe finished bitterly.

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that," Percy replied with a slight chuckle. "They're losing heroes left and right by their own doings and it will only be a matter of time."

"Who are you?" Leto asked this time as she eyed him intensely.

"Hmm … if by chance you meet your daughter, tell her Umbra says hi," he replied but then noticed that Leto winced slightly.

"My children … don't really visit anymore," she murmured softly while tugging at her chiton.

"But aren't you free?" Percy asked with a frown. He was sure that he specified Leto during his request since he learned more about her when their quest stopped near the old temple of Delphi and he got more familiar with the history of the twins.

"I am," she replied softly. "But … Olympus has changed much and just because we were freed thanks to that Jackson boy didn't mean we were treated any better. Most of the few freed Titans and their children usually returned to the very places they were kept or moved somewhere away from Olympus. I returned here along with Phoebe."

"And your children?" Percy asked with a deepening frown.

"I guess they grew up too much to need their mother and her constant nagging," Leto said with a smile devoid of warmth.

"Nagging as in you've been telling them to be more faithful or simply stop whoring around for your son, especially given he's no longer single, and trying to be more lenient with men for your daughter," Percy stated, seeing Leto slouch slightly confirming it for him.

"Artemis actually snapped at me for the first time about three years after I was freed and now she's so angry," Leto said softly as tears gathered in her eyes. "Apollo stopped wanting to spend any time with me after the first few months until his visits stopped altogether just over a year ago," she said as she sniffed slightly. "They've changed so much from my two babies that I birthed and raised here. Now they're just … their father's children."

By now Leto was crying softly as Phoebe gave her a comforting hug. Percy watched the pair sadly, shaking his head softly in disappointment. He knew the Olympians had fallen far with their pride filled with 'their' victories and godly superiority being the anchors but this was just low. To shrug off their freshly released mother, who cared and nurtured them while risking the wrath of the queen of the gods, was sad. Hell, he was pretty sure that aside from Hestia and possibly Hades, the remainder of the elder Olympians hadn't thought about their own mother in centuries.

He sighed at the sight before him before clearing his throat to get their attention. Once he had it he spoke again.

"I can understand how you are feeling Leto but I must ask, would their treatment for you mean that you're willing to go against them?" he asked.

Leto looked unsurely at him but he could see the hesitance to fight her own children while Phoebe narrowed her eyes.

He nodded before continuing, "I expected as much. Then I offer you a chance at neutrality for the coming war and even refuge should the Olympians try to bring you into their forces. As for Phoebe, I have an offer that I would discuss somewhere more secure and know that, should you decide it, I will return you here and leave you alone. I swear it on the Styx."

Thunder boomed, signaling the sealing of the oath as both Titans glanced at each other. Then Phoebe spoke hesitantly.

"If I were to join you … what of my husband?" she asked wearily.

"Koios correct? Titan of Intellect and Axis of Heavenly Bodies," Percy said, getting a nod from Phoebe. "If I recall correctly he was neutral the first Titan War and then sided with Kronos in the second and was defeated in Mount Othrys with Krios by the romans. Well, should he chose in the coming war, I would offer him neutrality or even a place among my forces. His domain is powerful and he could be an indispensable tactician."

"But he's in Tartarus right now and won't reform for centuries at least," Phoebe shot back.

"I wouldn't count on that," Percy said in a low tone. "I said war is coming … but never that it was only two sides …"

Both Leto and Phoebe's eyes widened as they looked at him, their thoughts racing with the implications of his words.

"So," he started while raising an open hand for them to take. "Are you coming or what…?"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: I swear Percy is like the recruiting general. Nearly done with the big gathering chapters and soon the wheels will get turning. Not gonna lie, next chapter has feels like nobody's business!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	12. Goodbye

**Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS (or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate this season)! For you all the latest chapter and longer than usual to bout! Loving the reviews and kind words, thank you. That alone makes my holiday! So read on and enjoy.**

 **PS. Check the bottom, I have a few question for my readers.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

"Wow, this area is nice," Andromeda commented as she looked around the heavily wooded mountains.

"Yeah," Jason agreed as he occasionally glanced at the scenery.

They were walking along a gravel and dirt road close to the apex of a mountain valley with large trees surrounding them. An odd deer or so passed by them time to time but otherwise it was very quiet, the afternoon sun already on its decent for the day. While walking Andy kept glancing at the heir of the light beside her, a worried frown marring her face at times.

Ever since she'd brought Jason to the House of Night and everything that happened afterwards, she could feel the lingering pain in his heart. It could only be described as sad and … empty even, as if he'd given up on the entire concept of love. She wondered if this was what her brother had felt in his betrayal but then she shook her head. True, he'd suffered similar betrayals but each happened between periods of battle and then peace, with at least one thing holding him together. Annabeth cheated but he had his friends and concerned with the war. Later it was the gods and the murder of their mom but Percy had Hestia's companionship for a time and then Nyx and Rhea.

Everything had simply fallen apart for Jason in one night and now, though he hid it a little too well, he was suffering as well with nowhere to vent those emotions. Maybe he would confide in Percy or Nico but then again, Nico was odd with emotional stuff and Percy, while being Jason's 'bro', was still a klutz when it came to comforting people. She should know, half the time when she cried for the first few years about everything she learned Percy would mess up what he was trying to say. Thank goodness she could be calmed with his hugs and cookies while Rhea handled the talking things out.

But who did Jason have for that? Reyna? Not likely and she was back at the camp anyways. His sister could be an option but they weren't even sure if she'd join them, Calypso too but then again, it went down to the lines being drawn for the war. ' _Could … I help out?'_ she wondered as she glanced at him again, staring slightly at his sky blue eyes coursing with white electricity and glowing pupils. ' _He really does look nice like this,'_ she noted before looking away and shaking those thoughts for the moment. ' _Come on! Just think of some way to start… But how!? It's too soon but he'll just wallow in sadness otherwise. ARGH!'_

She huffed in frustration which earned his attention making her bite back a curse. Still, might as well strike while the iron is hot anyways.

"Ah Jason," she started as she locked eyes with him.

"Yes."

"How are you feeling?" she asked tentatively but he gave her a confused eyebrow so she elaborated. "You know … about what happened in the camp."

At the mention of the camp his eyes immediately darkened with a flash of pain, almost making Andy flinch as she literally felt it pass through her as well. After some tense silence he answered curtly, "I'm … fine."

She nodded slowly, knowing that he wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation and now she was beating herself up for bringing it up. They walked on, the atmosphere now awkward when all Andromeda had wanted to do was talk with him and get to know him. Now she was pretty sure she made a sloppy attempt at breaking the ice … and possibly added more to it. Still, she was Andromeda Jackson, younger sister of the infamous Percy Jackson and that meant being stubborn was in the job description … just with a little more tact than her brother. So she took a breath as she looked at him before speaking softly.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," she started while Jason kept looking forward without giving any sign that he'd heard her. "But I just want to you to know … if you do ever want to talk, I'm just a shadow hop away."

He didn't answer her as they continued to walk, making her look at the floor dejectedly. She kicked around a twig or two as they moved, the silence feeling like a lead weight on her shoulders. After a while she looked around again as they passed a ridge and she could see the lower end of the valley. Evergreens and pines covered the mountain floor while a large lake marked the center and some of the highest peaks actually had snow on them even though the summer hadn't even ended yet.

She found it both beautiful and peaceful, much like some of the forests she used to explore whenever the Hunt located in a new area … until she left that is. That was probably the only thing she truly regretted about living in the House of Night. Sure, the house was more like a palace and was structured beautifully along with the special courtyard Percy and Nyx formed together but was still Tartarus. She couldn't wait for the day she could live on the surface again peacefully and just enjoy nature as she once had.

It was will thinking all this and taking in the view that she failed to notice Jason stepping up beside her before speaking softly. So soft in fact that she almost missed it.

"Thank you …"

She spun her head around in surprise but he was already moving again but from what she caught of his face before he was too far in front for her to see, she noted that he had a slightly embarrassed blush. She smile at the tiny victory though, knowing it was hard for guys like her brother and Jason to admit feeling weak or down. They were the leaders, the ones everyone looked to in times of need. They were tempered to not show any weakness or pain, to be those intimidating and unyielding warriors, the commanders that could take more and keep going. So for Jason to even thank her for her offer made her feel giddy to the point she actually hopped a little.

She soon caught up to him though, a pleasant silence now surrounding them as she hummed softly to herself. She could even see how Jason looked more relaxed and had the faintest of smiles on his face. After some more walking she let her curiosity take over as she looked at Jason.

"So, why did Frank and Hazel come out here of all places?"

Jason glanced at her for a moment before answering. "Well, I guess they just wanted to get away from it all. I mean, can you really blame them? The war took a heavy toll on everyone, especially those that had to travel to the Old World. Many of us had to face our demons one way or another so, once everything was said and done, trying to find peace made the most sense."

"Yeah but with the barrier Hecate set up, they could have lived just about anywhere so why out here in upper state Washington near the border to Canada?" she persisted.

"Frank's Canadian," Jason answered as if it explained everything before frowning. "And I thought we weren't supposed to name gods who are sided with the Olympians to not risk being found too early."

"Who said Hecate is with the Olympians," she said slyly while Jason looked at her incredulously. "What? Percy's been busy these last few years and honestly, of the gods, Hecate owed Percy more than anything since he's the reason she was spared after the Titan War and her children were recognized. The minute he told her his plans and who he is, she was on board."

"Oh," was Jason's only reply before he asked, "Any other gods I should know about?"

"A few like Damasen," she answered with a shrug.

"The bane of the war god? But I thought he hated his father after his banishment to Tartarus," Jason said with a frown.

"Not Tartarus, Gaea," Andromeda corrected. "And for the record, he knew that it was his mother that was disappointed in him while Tartarus lost interest in any of the Giants after they were defeated thanks to their own arrogance."

"Cold," Jason muttered.

"True but many forget that Tartarus is also wise and expects as much from those he trains or rarely sires. The Giants were supposed to be a better solution to the Olympians after they showed their true colors after a few centuries of ruling but in the end, the Giants failed. Tartarus can be fair and even lenient with one failure, but to fail so utterly and not even for a good reason was too much for him to even look at the Giants again without feeling shame for how they turned out. As for Damasen, since it was Gaea's curse that kept him trapped within the Pit, Tartarus couldn't really do anything to help … not that he would have considering Damasen gave up pretty quick and accepted his punishment without much of a fight."

"And now?" Jason asked curiously.

"He still won't fight on the front lines if that's what you're asking," Andy answered as she absentmindedly kicked a small pebble. "However, Percy got Damasen to a compromise that would benefit both parties so there's that."

"Huh," Jason muttered as they finally spotted a house coming onto view resting on the end of a ridge below the shadow of a mountain.

Andromeda looked at it intently, subconsciously picking out any weak points of defense and what best ways to possibly defend or attack that house. It was two story, fashioned out of a stone base before transitioning into thick logs and slanted roof. There was a large window stretching from floor to possibly the second floor letting Andy see into the living room and dining room beyond. ' _That might be a serious safety issue,'_ she mused before returning to her observations. The gravel road led to a stoned driveway and large garage currently open letting Andy see a Jeep Wrangler, a pair of dirt bikes, and a Honda CRV all parked inside.

She also noted the pair of legs sticking out from under the jeep with several tools thrown around. Jason chuckled beside her as he walked on to the garage, suddenly whistling a happy tune as they got closer. Soon enough the pair of legs went stiff for a moment before a lot of scrambling followed as whoever was under the car rushed to get out.

Andy was surprised a little as a woman looking 25 jumped up before them, wearing overalls, a long sleeve shirt caked in dust and car grime, course brown hair held back by a gold bandana, and a pair of warm amber-gold eyes looking at them. The moment her eyes landed on Jason she grinned before giving him a flying hug while shouting, "Jason!" which he caught expertly. This must have been a usual Andromeda thought with a small giggle before the woman looked in her direction.

"Hello there," she greeted kindly. "I'm Havel Zhang, and you are?"

"Andromeda Jackson," she replied without missing a beat and internally chuckling at Hazel's face at hearing her name. "I know. Supposed to be dead and all that plus I should be like 10 by your time but we'll get to that."

"O-okay," Hazel said unsurely before looking to Jason for explanation … although she paused as she narrowed her eyes and properly studied him before gasping. "What happened to you!? You look so … different!"

"Let's get Frank too before I explain anything," he said before a slight frown marred his face. "A lot of things have happened in the last few days so this will take a while."

"And Piper?" Hazel asked as she looked around for said daughter of Aphrodite. "I take it this is more than a casual stop on one of your trips to rescue demigods."

She missed Jason's grimace but he didn't let it show for long before sighing. "Let's just go inside first."

Hazel gave him a worried look before nodding, picking up a rag to clean her hands along the way as they went to a door inside the garage and leading into the house. As soon as they entered Andromeda could smell dinner cooking and she couldn't help but drool slightly. Whatever it was, it definitely involved barbeque judging by the smell.

They walked into a rather stylish kitchen and adjoining dinner table separated by a long island with a few utensils, cook books, and a small basket filled with fresh breads. The insides were fashioned from a finer wood for the table, chairs, kitchen cabinets, and floor while the kitchen top was granite with a gas burning stove. Andy glanced to the side to see a similar living room with a currently burning fireplace making the atmosphere nice and toasty. She then looked back into the kitchen and spotted Hazel's husband, Frank Zhang, currently tossing a salad while wearing an apron that said 'big boy eats' on it making her chuckle.

The noise was enough to get his attention and allowed Andromeda to get a good look at him. He stood as tall as her brother at 6 foot'4 with a bulkier build and neck like a bull. Dark brown, nearly black eyes looked at them in slight surprise before he gave a huge grin as he set the salad bowl down. He quickly got around the island before giving Jason a bear hug to end all hugs. She was pretty sure she even heard Jason's spine crack from it while she and Hazel giggled at the face he was making. Soon enough Frank set Jason down before looking at her.

"Hello there, Frank Zhang," he introduced while offering a handshake which she graciously accepted. "And you are?"

"Andromeda Jackson," she replied, smirking again at his predictable reaction at hearing her name. "I know, I'll explain in a moment."

"There's a lot to explain though," Jason added seriously as Frank got a proper look at him and had the same face as Hazel when she noticed his changes.

"A lot is right," Frank muttered before turning back to the kitchen, Andy following his line of sight to see several pots stewing on the stovetop. "But, you know the rules of the house."

"But—"

"No buts Grace," Frank interrupted while crossing his arms. "We get visitors, we have a proper dinner and then talk about business."

Jason stared at him for a few seconds before sighing in defeat. "Fine, I can't get you to change your mind anyways … stubborn shapeshifter."

Frank grinned at him before clapping Jason on the shoulder. "Great! Then help me set up the table and we'll open up some cold ones while Hazel gets cleaned up. Andromeda, you're free to join us or if you're of the finer tastes, I can bring out some wine."

"That sounds lovely,"' Andy agreed as the group split up to do just that.

It didn't take long for Hazel to return, dressed in a simple cream dress reaching her knees and her hair set free. They soon got to dinner, a lovely meal of Mongolian BB'Q, stir fry, and the salad. Throughout the meal Andromeda couldn't help but constantly smile at the warmth and openness the Zhang's displayed making Jason smile and laugh. She could feel the love in this home, between Hazel and Frank as a happy couple and then Jason with the pair as siblings with bonds forged through hardship.

' _I wish I could have seen what the original seven were like before everything broke apart,'_ she thought sadly as she looked at their smiling faces. But maybe someday they could return to this, after their war was finished even if the original seven would probably never be gathered again. She kept her thoughts on the matter to herself though as the dinner concluded before they transitioned to the living room, the couple sharing a loveseat while Andy and Jason sat on a couch facing them.

"So," Hazel started, "What did you come to talk to us about?"

Jason and Andromeda shared an uneasy glance before looking at the couple again, the tension building by the second.

"Jason …" Hazel said in a worried tone as she looked between the two. "… What's going on?"

Jason sighed before speaking softly, "It's a long story …"

And so, they told them. Everything starting with the murder of Percy's parents and the intentions of the gods to what happened just a few days ago without necessarily mentioning which immortals were already allied with them. Hazel had cried faintly when she heard about the incident with Piper and gave Jason a brief hug but they had to continue on soon. After hours they sat silent, Andromeda staring at her feet nervously as she waited for the couple sitting across from them to say something, anything. After what felt like an eternity Frank sighed, making the other three look at him.

"So," he started in a thick voice, as if there was something in his throat. "What is it that you came to accomplish? I know there had to be more than just coming to tell us this stuff. Hell, Nico knew and could have come any time so why now?"

Jason ran a hand through his hair before answering, "Honestly … nothing."

At their confused expressions he continued on. "I don't want anything from you two. I don't even want you to be involved in this coming war. You've done your part, you've already saved this world once and that is enough. I know you're both loyal romans at heart but please," Jason said pleadingly. "Don't fight this time around … I don't know if I could bear the thought of having to fight either of you."

Frank and Hazel stared at him in shock as Jason actually got on his knees and bowed to them, his voice coming out choked, "Please … I don't want to lose any more family to war."

"Jason…" Hazel said as tears built up in her eyes as she got down and hugged him to her chest as the ex-son of Zeus sobbed softly while embracing her back, all the pain and inner turmoil from the last two days finally catching up to him.

Frank soon joined in, engulfing both in his massive arms protectively. Andromeda for her part had tears running down her cheeks as she watched this union of friends, of _family_. This was the kind of love that she wished to protect and nurture, especially when tough times were approaching. Just in the few hours she'd gotten to know these two heroes, she'd already grown to love them and wish that they lived out the rest of their partially immortal lives in peace.

After several minutes Jason calmed down enough to pull back slightly and look at Hazel. She gave him a soft smile as she wiped away the last of his tears before kissing him on the forehead.

"Don't worry," she said gently as she looked at him. "We won't fight this time around."

"You won't?" Jason asked hopefully as he looked between the two.

"No … there would be too much at stake now," Frank replied as he wrapped an arm around Hazel, his hand resting right over her belly.

It took Andromeda a moment before her eyes widened in understanding, suddenly realizing that Hazel never once touched an ounce of alcohol throughout the night and even had a slight bump that had been well hidden by her dress.

"Hazel y-you're …" Jason trailed off as he numbly pointed a finger at her as she blushed while smiling.

"We're expecting!" Frank and Hazel said gleefully making Jason suddenly crack a smile bright enough to make Apollo flinch.

"That's incredible!" he shouted as he shot up and picked up Hazel before giving her a tight hug while Frank laughed and Andy even got up to join the hug, too giddy to resist.

She was pleasantly surprise to feel Hazel bring her into it before Frank again engulfed them all together and actually picked them up. After the hug Jason stepped back while looking relieved at the couple.

"So how far along are you?" Andy asked excitedly.

"Two months," Hazel replied while Jason clapped Frank on the shoulder and told him good job with a wink making the huge man blush up a storm. Hazel noticed and giggled for a moment before she cleared her throat to get Jason's attention. "So Jason … now that you know and all, me and Frank wanted to ask you something."

"What?" Jason asked curiously as he looked between the couple.

"Well … we were wondering if …" Frank started but Hazel beat him to it.

"If you'd want to be the godfather?" she asked anxiously.

Jason looked at them, stunned beyond words for a minute at least before he smiled even brighter and hugged Hazel again while shouting, "Of course! I'd be honored!"

There was a little cheer for that as the mood in the house skyrocketed. They spent another couple of hours like that, talking happily and telling Andy all sorts of stories from their adventures as demigods until it the hour got late. Andy glanced out into the pitch black night.

"Looks like it's time to head out," she murmured sadly but Hazel put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Well I hope you know you are always welcome here," she said warmly making Andy nod happily.

"And you better let us know when the special day comes," Andy said while pointing at her tiny bump. "We'll all want to be there for that day … I'll even make sure my brother comes along."

"But won't it be dangerous if the gods spotted him or sensed him near?" she asked but Jason answered for her.

"I could always speak to Aether and see if he'd be okay bringing you into the Palace of the Sky for that day so all of us can be there for you," he offered making Frank and Hazel's jaws drop.

"Yeah and hopefully Nico will have spoken to your father about us and he could make up some story about bringing you into the Underworld for the birth too," she added with a wink.

"A-are you sure?" Frank asked nervously. "Wouldn't the gods find it odd?"

"Maybe but it's not like they're on good terms with Hazel's dad anyways after what they did years ago," Andy answered with a shrug. "And if not, we'll figure something out."

"Thank you," Frank said as he draped an arm around his wife.

"Our pleasure," she replied as Jason stood beside her. "Oh, and if you want to contact us. Pray to Nyx, Rhea, Mnemosyne, Aether, Hemera, or Taratrus." She paused for a moment before adding, "And if you just want to send a letter or message, write on a piece of paper and stick it into a shadow while praying to Nyx or even Percy. One of them will get it immediately."

"I just learned that it works with light too," Jason pipped up. "Same thing, stick a letter in clear daylight and pray to Hemera or Aether and they'll get it. I'm not connected to the domains since I haven't claimed the right to be an heir so I can't receive messages that way yet."

"Noted," Frank said with a nod before there were several goodbye hugs.

Soon enough both were stepping out of the house, the happy couple looking at them with warm smiles. Andromeda gave them a wave before looking at Jason.

"So, does Aether expect you back yet?" she asked.

"I'm good for another few hours," he replied easily.

"Then you're hanging out with me," she said as she snagged his arm before shadow traveling them back to Tartarus.

They stumbled a little, or more like Jason did and she caught him making him blush. It was odd, considering his blood was slowly turning to ichor so he was a reddish gold. She giggled at it though but stopped when she heard a throat being cleared. She turned to see her brother looking at them in amusement, sweat trailing down his exposed torso as his swords _Sin_ and _Purgatory_ rested at his sides .She glanced around and realized she'd jumped them to the training grounds by accident in her haste.

She looked across from Percy to see Rhea there as well, dressed in a tight fitting sports bra and yoga pants, her hair in a ponytail, and also gleaming with sweat. In her hands was her bow staff, _Testament,_ made of a mix of black Tartarean steel and emerald that she used her earth domain to obtain. The entire staff was just about seven feet long, with the main rode made of the steel while the emerald covered the blunt ends and formed tendril patterns reaching towards the center with the leather grips. She was broken out of her musings when Percy snapped his fingers to get her attention.

"Sup sis, how was the trip?" he asked.

Andromeda glanced at Jason before both beamed at Percy and told him everything. By the end Rhea was hoping with excitement at the news of a baby on the way.

"Oh, we are so visiting them soon," Percy agreed as he set a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to calm her down slightly.

"How soon?" Rhea asked eagerly.

"Don't worry love, soon enough," Percy answered with a chuckle before his head randomly tilted to the side as if he was listening to something before a sly smile appeared on his face. He then glanced at Jason and said, "I do believe you have some siblings on the way."

Before they could even ask Percy smirked before dissolving into shadows while Rhea had a knowing smile on her face.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Jason asked as he looked at Rhea.

"It's a surprise," she replied with a wink before turning around and heading for the House of Night in the distance. "Let's get to the house, we are expecting company after all …"

* * *

 **With Thalia**

Thalia sat silently in her tent, her thoughts racing as she looked down at her own hands for what felt like hours. It had been little more than a day since Nico came and revealed the truth to her. She hadn't been able to sleep since and couldn't so much as look Artemis in the face throughout the whole day. She didn't know what to do anymore and she'd never felt more alone in her life. Here she was, with the band of girls that were her supposed _family_ , only to learn of the horrors that had been hidden here.

Sure, she'd known that after the wars something had seemed to change within her mistress and even the other gods on the rare occasions they visited. It was as if now that the threats of their own ends weren't there, they no longer needed to pretend to be amiable or respectful towards the demigods. Apollo and Artemis argued louder and harsher words were spit out, Hermes who usually at least said hi to his daughters in the Hunt during deliveries simply appeared, finished business and left. They didn't say anything but she could tell some of his daughters felt hurt about it, him being one of the only males they still cared about.

She also hadn't spoken to her own father in years after one odd visit with him asking her if she would consider leaving the Hunt to become a goddess on Olympus. She denied it without hesitation, at the time feeling sure that her place was here rather than on Olympus and she couldn't shake the feeling that godly politics would be involved if she did. Hell, just look what happened to her so called _friend,_ Annabeth. The pair had long since drifted apart, especially when Thalia learned about the cheating on Percy with Apollo of all people … and the irony that followed.

She wasn't sure _how_ or _why_ it happened, but a year or so after Percy's disappearance, Zeus announced that Apollo and Annabeth were getting hitched. She remembered the wedding as a blur, since just about everyone from Camp Half-blood and the Hunt had to attend along with a few senators from New Rome. She'd been sorta happy for Annabeth but they just weren't close anymore and the friendship was at an end. She still felt some pity though when, surprise, surprise! Took a year (impressive enough honestly) but soon Apollo was caught having an affair with a mortal and had another bun in the oven (confirmed by Hestia, Artemis informed her at the time). Apparently Annabeth nearly went full Hera on the mortal but luckily Hestia put her foot down about harming innocent mortals or demigods.

That was another thing, the few times she'd visited Olympus in the years, Thalia had heard how Hestia is nearly silent at all meetings now and doesn't even try to stop her brothers from fighting. She only ever speaks up when something regarding a demigod is mentioned and usually only to prevent hasty actions. So Olympus was a mess ever since Percy left and she was pretty sure she didn't even know the half of it … but now she could understand why. Hestia and Hades being reluctant to even take part, the louder bickering and threats sent between the gods, and the dramas revolving around them and the demigods. Apparently now her own brother could be added to the list of vanishing demigods which made her wonder how New Rome would react?

Their guardian and Pontifus Maximus, one of the seven, gone without a trace just like Percy nearly nine years ago. Add to that the mysterious disappearances of other gods and the wolf … no, Percy's infiltration while recovering his sister. He'd been so close and yet she'd never known until now. She could still recall the few times he simply sat beside her and offered silent comfort on her down days or when she occasionally scratched him behind the ears. He'd been such a welcome presence then and now she had the chance to have it again along with her family. Andromeda, Nico, Jason, and Percy were all waiting to see if she would join them and in her hands was the marble keeping her from them.

But then what about the Hunt? She knew that Percy was the one to kill Phoebe and would likely want the entire Hunt to burn for what they did to his family and the crimes committed over the years. That had been her first sign that things were wrong with Artemis and the other gods. They were reverting, becoming far more like their myths … just as merciless, cruel, and abusive. Artemis had once been like a sister or even mom to them, more so in Thalia's case since they actually are sisters, but things had fallen apart. Her sister had changed from the once noble Olympian that helped spare Percy after he saved her. But on the inside she'd been boiling with rage at having a debt to anyone, especially a male.

Just like her, many of the gods were starting to feel belittled and insulted to have one demigod not only save them repeatedly but also made them change their ways when most clearly didn't want to. He had been an upstart, a change, a guide and role model for the next generation of demigods … and that was dangerous to millennia old beings set in their ways. It made sense that they would want him either leashed by the ancient laws as a god with them … or disposed of. ' _So is that what's happening to me?'_ she wondered as she thought about her father's request and the slow separation she was feeling from the Hunt.

In time her attitude towards men had become increasingly apparent as she did not outright show hostility towards them until they gave her a reason to. It also wasn't a secret that she would often go to nearby streams when they had the chance and IM Nico just to have a familiar face to speak to but many in the Hunt thought she was calling him for other motives and weren't exactly quiet about the accusations. She bared with it though and kept on with her duty, protecting the Hunt as the lieutenant. But could she now after everything?

In these three years things have only gotten worse. Artemis tries to pull a tough and cold façade now but behind closed doors, Thalia had been the only one to see Artemis break down and cry nearly every night for a year. She'd tried to help and comfort her as much as she could but nothing she did seemed to help and in one of those nights, where Artemis had fallen asleep with her head on Thalia's lap, did Thalia learn a shocking reason as to why Phoebe's death had hurt Artemis so much.

She and Phoebe had been lovers.

With Phoebe taken away in such a brutal fashion and Artemis powerless to help, she'd broken. Her warmth had all but vanished even to the point members of the Hunt tried to avoid her. Her normally intense silver-yellow eyes had dulled along with the moon and she trusted no one … save maybe for Thalia herself. Oh the irony, of how Artemis had not defended her from the Hunt's harsh treatment for years and then, when her lover is taken, she clings onto her little sister for dear life. So that was the Hunt now. Cold and empty during the days, barely ever singing at campfires and turning anything that strayed into the camp into a pincushion. New girls had to swear on the Styx to not be part of some group wishing to harm the Hunt and even then had to go through a grace period of a month before Artemis fully swore them in … none had lasted more than a week before requesting to leave.

Artemis would be emotionless before her hunters but at night, she would either request Thalia to come to her tent or join Thalia in her own or try to talk about the past for nostalgia, or just cling to Thalia. It had been nothing short of a miracle that Artemis hadn't stopped by to drive her chariot for the night rather than leave it on autopilot like usual when Nico had chosen to stop by. It was nighttime now and Thalia was pretty sure that Artemis would be back from her chariot soon so with a shaky breath, she made a choice.

She started to pack up some gear but mostly some mementos of her favorite Hunts or adventures. She stopped as she picked up one particular picture, smiling as she remembered the day. It had been a little over a week after the end of the Titan war and she along with her cousins had decided to stop by Sally's house to see her and Paul. They'd spent the day and even slept over when Paul and Sally had taken a picture of the three passed out together on a couch after watching some terrible comedy movie.

Percy had been in the middle with his arms open and head thrown back, Nico leaning back against him while Thalia was on the other side with her head in Percy's lap. Sally was in the background giving a sweet smile while ruffling Percy's hair softly. The corner of the picture had 'one family' written into it by Sally before she'd given it to Thalia and she was sure Nico and Percy had their own as well. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek as she looked at the picture before putting it away with the rest. Once packed she stepped out, not looking back at the tent that had been hers for over a decade.

She walked silently out of the camp towards a clearing a fair distance away and spotted Artemis sitting on a downed log while looking up at the moon. It had never been bright again after Phoebe's death and she knew many of the gods were concerned about Artemis but she never let any of them in. Thalia sighed as she walked up and sat beside the goddess, not knowing how to go about saying her retirement. All she was sure of was that Artemis would fight it and it was possible that other gods would notice if Artemis got too agitated. However, it seemed that Artemis already had something to say as she turned to look at her.

"Thalia … can I ask you something?"

Thalia looked at her unsurely for a moment before nodding.

"You'll … you won't leave me … right?" she asked and Thalia's heart nearly stopped.

' _Does she already know? How!?'_ Thalia's thoughts raced but her mouth just worked on, "W-what?"

"You won't leave me right?" Artemis asked as a desperate glint appeared in her eyes. "Like the other girls that always come and then fall to monsters or are led astray. You're too strong for that right?" she asked as she suddenly got a lot closer making Thalia lean back. "You won't leave me like Zoe did … like Ph-Phoebe … please …" she begged as her eyes got watery.

"I… I…" Thalia stuttered, completely unprepared for Artemis to question her like this.

"I know I haven't been the best lately," she continued as she inched closer. "But please, I'll make it up to you … just promise you'll always be there with me."

Thalia looked away from her as she stood up, her eyes hidden behind her black bangs. She slowly reached up to her tiara before grasping it with trembling hands, Artemis gasping at the sight. Thalia paused as she looked at the tiara before finally meeting Artemis' gaze.

"I'm sorry … Artemis," she said as she held up the tiara to the goddess. "But I must resign from my post as your lieutenant and leave the Hunt."

"What!? Why!?" Artemis screamed as tears started to stream down her face, her silvery eyes seemingly breaking by the second as the moon got even duller.

"I'm sorry Artemis," Thalia chocked out as she looked away from her half-sister's eyes. "But I can't be here anymore."

"But why!?" Artemis screamed this time as anger started to show in her eyes while she took a step forward but Thalia mirrored her as she took a step back. "What did I do!? Is it something you think needs fixing? Is someone forcing you?"

Thalia looked at Artemis in surprise at that statement but could see the determination in her eyes. She wanted to make sure Thalia stayed in any way she could … but Thalia had made her choice.

"I'm sorry … but there is nothing that you can say that will change my mind," she replied as her resolve strengthened and she met Artemis' eyes.

"But this is your family!" Artemis tried but it only got a fierce glare out of Thalia.

"A family …" Thalia echoed as she looked down for a moment. "I had a family …" She then looked up again at Artemis as she continued, "I had a mom but you killed her."

"W-what?" Artemis asked as she suddenly looked less sure of herself.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she went on as her anger she'd been suppressing started to bubble up. "A kind and wonderful woman by the name of Sally Jackson," she said as Artemis started to shake her head in disbelief. "And a man I could have called dad unlike my sorry excuse for one." Thunder boomed in the background but Thalia didn't care as she glared at the goddess. "And a little sister … but no. You gods and your pride couldn't bear the thought of us being happier with mortals than you. That we would deny godhood and question your ways when it was the whole reason those wars could even start."

By now a storm was slowly gaining strength around them as lightning crackled off Thalia's frame. The commotion had awoken most of the Hunt and had them gathered at the edge of the clearing. They were looking on in worry between the seemingly shell-shocked goddess and the angered demigod.

"Now I know the truth," Thalia continued as she dug a hand into her pocket, fishing for the marble. "You are just as much of a deceitful, cruel, manipulating goddess as the rest of them. You murdered Sally and Paul Blofis, two innocent mortals, with your lover!" At Thalia's declaration the girls of the Hunt gasped while Artemis' mouth hung open and lightning flashed across the sky as rain started to pour. "You've ruined so many lives and I refuse to be part of it anymore!"

With that she threw the tiara at Artemis' feet, making the diadem at the top crack as Artemis looked at it in shock. Before anything else could happen, Thalia crushed her hand around the marble, the tiny obsidian shattering into a fine powder as darkness leaked off it and encompassed her. She could feel the familiar sensation of shadows holding onto her, letting her know that a shadow jump was immanent so before she could go, she locked eyes with Artemis and smirked before saying something to really send the goddess over the edge.

"And Artemis … Umbra says hello."

Thalia saw something snap in the goddess' eyes as she said that, an unholy anger taking over as her bow materialized in her hands but before she could even aim it the shadows swallowed Thalia, jumping her from that place and beyond the reach of the gods. Thalia felt as if she was being tossed in and out of a washer for several seconds before the shadows suddenly released her, making her fall into a heap on … someone …

"Get … off …" whoever it was under her groaned as she sat up.

She shook her head to get rid of the dizziness before looking around. She was in what looked like a large living room with the walls made of black marble and some couches currently occupied. She didn't really notice who as she immediately looked beneath her to see she'd landed and was straddling Nico's chest while he gave her an irritated look.

"Thals … you're kind of making it hard to breath," he muttered making her eyebrow twitch in annoyance as she smacked him before getting up and looking around at all the staring faces that she didn't recognize save for her brother, Jason, who was sitting beside a grown woman that looked suspiciously familiar with her rich brown hair but had eyes beginning as purple and turning to light blue as they drew closer to the center with pink pupils. The woman was beaming at her before she suddenly ran at her, shifting into a child form all the while before jumping and screaming, "Aunty Thalia!"

Thalia caught the flying missile by reflex while looking at her bewildered.

"Andromeda!?"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Damn what a chapter! Was there enough feels for you all? The momentum builds so let me hear your thoughts on the matter!**

 **Question: Okay, first off I've been debating and finally decided that it isn't fair if Percy is the only one with multi pairing with main being Percy/Rhea/Hestia x additional lovers of sorts. So, with that thought, Jason will be in on it too so regarding these bits as following:**

 **Percy: Should Thalia be one of his lovers or get her own main pairing with someone else?**

 **Jason: Should Andromeda be one of Jason's main (it will be two and I have the other decided and I bet anything none of you will guess who!)?**

 **Normally I don't like revealing pairings and stuff but I will with a few already noted to get some opinions though mind some of these aren't set.**

 **Percy/Rhea/Hestia lovers (they will be married, if its a harem it is a harem for all _three_ of them): **

**Medusa**

 **Lamia**

 **Jason/mystery/Andromeda?:**

 **Leto (all I got so far really)**

 **Possibly Nico/Will/mystery**

 **That's all I got so let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	13. Heirs Complete

**Hello Everyone and welcome to the New Year! And so the story must go one but first some results from the questions in the last chapter and explanations.**

 **First, if I ask a question in the AN, it is because I really can't decided on what to do and is the only explicit time I write according to reader requests. I appreciate suggestions and ideas at any time though so that doesn't mean you can't let me know what you think.**

 **Anyways, first off, this isn't a romance story so pairings won't have much building unless crucial to the story. Like Percy with Rhea/Hestia. That affects the story alot so I'll give chapters to build them up. If it is a harem member, I might just show up with them suddenly being together or a little exposition, just don't expect the whole courting and all. On that note, for Percy. He is going to be king with Rhea/Hestia as queens. It isn't Percy's harem but their harem (if someone wants to please the king, they need to please the queens too). It won't be big though but I will try to make it satisfying.**

 **On that note: Thanks to overwhelming majority (35+ reviews and 50+ IM's) Thalia will be with Percy! It will take some maneuvering but I will give it my best to make it work!**

 **Jason on the other hand, after some very well thought out opinions from my readers, wouldn't match a harem to his personality so officially: Jason with mystery goddess only!**

 **Thank you to my readers and for your support! Love you all!**

 **Disclaimer: Only plot is mine.**

* * *

 **With Percy (Same Time to Thalia Leaving Hunt)**

Percy quickly walked out of the shadows of a palm tree and back onto a familiar beach, the first rays of dawn coming over the horizon. He didn't stop to admire the view though as he walked directly towards the hulking figure looking out over the sea, his trusty club at his side. Percy walked up until he stood at Hercules' side, looking out over the sea as well before beginning.

"So … you made a choice?" he asked.

"Hmm," was Hercules' reply without looking at him. "What is your goal in the end?"

"Removing the Olympian council and generally fixing all the shit they screwed up … and making them suffer but that's a little more personal," he answered with a shrug.

"And you don't think you'll become the very same thing in a couple of centuries?" Hercules asked dubiously.

"Who knows," Percy replied with a shrug. "Maybe we might turn out better, maybe not. The best I can do is try and I certainly won't remain silent while the Olympians keep running this show and their enemies keep coming back just to mess everyone up again."

"Considering their mostly immortal and or don't have souls and reform anyways, you'll face the same problem," Hercules replied.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," Percy replied slyly while not mentioning the Law of Succession.

Chaos made it only for the eyes of the primordial originally and it could be risky letting it become common knowledge to other immortals or demigods. Last thing they needed was power-hungry gods and mortals alike challenging each other left and right for power and titles, luckily there were several safety measures in place meant just for that situation. For one, power and domains taken would remain mostly dormant until the successor gained approval from the governing bodies. In other words, a new primordial needed the approval of a protogenoi council to make a full claim, same with gods and titans though the protogenoi council supersedes all of them.

Hercules could technically duel him and challenge him for the right to become the heir of Night, but without Nyx's approval, Hercules would only gain a minor blessing's worth of power and control which Nyx could strip in a heartbeat. Two is that a challenge can be denied but then again, with the pride of gods, who would? Not to mention if someone was already in a death match than the law could be called in mid fight to raise the stakes. The only reason Percy himself had gained so much power when he defeated Gaea was that she didn't share her domain with anyone so there wasn't anyone to try and pry control from him or limit the power.

' _Still … maybe later on he could earn the right to know as well,'_ Percy thought as he waited for Hercules to ask anything else. It took a few minutes but then Hercules snorted before asking, "So if I leave with you, what will you have me do?"

"Well, you are a powerful fighter but that wasn't my original goal," Percy answered while tucking his hands into his pockets. "I wanted you either out of the fight completely or on our side but not to fight for us."

"And why not?" Hercules asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I won't be starting this war for you so I don't expect you to put your life on the line for me," he answered with a shrug. "Personally I would have been happy fighting the entire thing alone."

"You have got to be kidding me?" Hercules said as he looked at Percy as if he was an idiot.

"Not really," Percy replied nonchalantly. "In terms of fighting skill I know the Olympians aren't a threat and with the power I'll gain soon, they won't be a threat even with their symbols of power … but a war fought by one man would undoubtedly take decades or even centuries. Too many innocent lives could be dragged into it and I know the Olympians will use every bit of threats, favors, and blackmail they have to get their forces up against me for a war that is only aimed at them. That's why I'm not even bothering to raise an army … just a few trusted friends is all I need."

"And if you won, what of the surviving demigods and minor gods?"

"Well obviously oaths to not betray or try to create chaos but otherwise they can be left alone. This war isn't on them so if they just want to live out their days in peace, then by all means," Percy replied while giving Hercules a small smile. "So … any more questions?"

Hercules looked at him intently for a few minutes before smirking slightly. "Only one … when the Hades are we getting out of here?"

Percy grinned before responding, "Not to offend you big guy but I will need an oath on Styx to not run off or betray me the moment you're free."

Hercules didn't even hesitate, probably expecting just that. With his oath done and the thunder signaling the sealing of it Percy cheered.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear!" Percy said while clapping Hercules on the shoulder before walking further down the beach.

He could hear Hercules follow behind him but at the moment he wasn't focused on him. Instead he spread his senses as far as he could around the island, looking for the focus point of the island's enchantment meant to keep Hercules here. Sure, the Olympians could erect barriers with their power but to contain strong immortals or gods it would require constantly fed power from the gods so they usually focused the barrier to a point with a rune of some kind connected to an alternate power source or domain. These runes were usually invisible and hard to reach but with his shadows, he could search and contact the rune.

It took him a few minutes but soon he found the rune, this one formed of constantly shifting wind a hundred or so meters above the center of the island. He grinned as he reached forward as if grasping a lock, his shadows mirroring his action as they contacted the winds forming the runes. Had it been night it would have been all too easy to break the rune but with the sun rising he had to generate the darkness rather than control what was available.

So with that he focused his shadows while his hand slowly closed. He could feel the rune resisting as if in his hand as his power faced off against the godly signature of several Olympians. ' _I'm impressed it took this much to contain Hercules,'_ he thought as he brought his second hand up and grasped it as well. He started to flare his power to the point he was radiating darkness as the wind picked up around him and the sand below him was blown back. He actually felt a slight sweat form as he started to pry his hands apart, imagining his shadows doing the same to the rune.

The wind around the entire island picked up and the ground started to shake but he wasn't deterred as with a final roar, he ripped his hands apart. Following that he felt the rune break along with the sound of shattering glass ringing around the island.

"Damn," Percy sighed as he let his arms fall to his sides before taking a look around him. He scratched his neck sheepishly as he noticed that he was in a crater now and a good portion of the beach looked chewed up and was steaming slightly … odd considering some bits of sand and palm trees were froszen. "Note to self, practice flaring power and _not_ destroying everything around me."

He then searched for Hercules and found him on his ass a few meters away with his hair all messed up and blown back along with frost on his beard. Percy had the decency to look sheepish before offering the famous hero a hand up. Once they were both up and Hercules fixed his face as best he could with his hand Percy looked around, feeling several godly signatures focusing on the island and moments away from arriving.

"Get ready to jump," he said.

"Wha—"

Hercules didn't get a chance to speak as they shadow traveled before any god could arrive. Percy could have sworn he caught Hercules nearly shriek in surprise but he didn't let the thought bother him for now as they soon arrived at their destination. They both materialized out of the shadows into Nyx's grand meeting room. It was basically a mini throne room in a U shape facing a large set of tables in the center so that everyone could speak. And the room was currently in use with most of the forces currently allied with Percy aside from those that may be summoned to Olympus with the current breakout of Hercules.

Several sets of eyes focused on them before widening comically as most recognized Hercules standing beside him. Hercules shuffled under the attention before glancing to Percy to see what he was supposed to do. Percy couldn't really answer him since at the moment he had a very angry ex-hunter to deal with. The moment his eyes locked with Thalia's, who was sitting beside Jason and Nico at the tables, Hades broke loose.

Thalia shot up while looking at him with a glare to rival Nyx (damn terrifying) before she rushed at him with a lightning coated fist. He knew dodging would not help him in the end so he maned up and took it. It stung like a bitch but he didn't say anything as several more fists followed until Thalia was panting while looking at him, the skin of her knuckles torn with possibly fractured or outright broken bones but she seemed to be ignoring it for now. He could taste the coppery tinge of blood in his mouth from having a split lip but he still smiled before speaking.

"Hey Thals," he said warmly, much to the incredulous looks or in the case of the protogenoi present, amusement.

Thalia didn't reply, instead just sniffing as her eyes got watery before she tackled him in a hug, her face buried in his chest. He kept his smile as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as his head rested on her head. He simply held onto her as she sobbed for a few minutes, letting her emotions after several years of burying them finally out. While she did that he did a quick headcount of who was present at the moment.

So far it was Nyx, Tartarus, Eros, Phanes, Hemera, Aether, Rhea, Andromeda, Leto, Phoebe, Jason, Nico, Mnemosyne, Damasen, Medusa, Lamia, and Styx. Some gods were missing like Hecate so he guessed that the Olympians had already called a council meeting to discuss the disappearance of two children of Zeus. ' _Good headcount all things considered and besides, I'm pretty sure we have a few more to add later on,'_ he thought before pulling back from Thalia which required a little coaxing from him to get her to loosen her hold.

"Thals, come on," he whispered gently, too low for anyone else to hear.

All he got was a muffled response as she shook her head so he brought down his head lower to hear her better.

"What?"

"Do … ve me … ian …" she whispered in a soft voice.

He sighed a bit as he got a finger under her chin and softly tilted her up to look at her face, using his thumb to clear away her tears.

"Tell me again," he said softly looking into her electric blues eyes.

"Don't … don't leave me again … please," she said as she pulled closer again to hug him to her.

He smiled as she said that and returned the embrace.

"Of course," he said while rubbing her back before adding, "It was already hard enough to leave so many of my precious people behind so I'm not letting you go any time soon."

He felt her nod a little before she took a shaky breath and finally released him, her face clearing up as a small smile grace her face.

"Feeling better," he asked cheekily to which she lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Yeah," she replied while looking around for a moment before muttering, "Still hard to believe you have this many people behind you on this." She then looked at her godly half-brother. "Umm, hi."

"Hello," Hercules greeted after blinking a few times. "I'm Hercules and you?"

"Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus," she replied though at the mention of Zeus it came out bitter.

"Oh, a sister, I see," Hercules said with an understanding nod before looking at Percy.

"Don't look at me, I don't run the show here," he said while pointing to Nyx.

She giggled in response before gesturing to the available seats, "Then why don't you get seated so we can get on with this meeting?"

The three nodded before moving towards the tables but stopped as Eros cleared his throat as he stood up with everyone's attention.

"I do believe some seating needs to change though, just to get them used to it."

"Seating?" Percy asked with a tilt of the head.

"Why, the seats of the new protogenoi council," Nyx cheered before waving her hand.

At that several thrones, seven in fact appeared. Two were directly beside Nyx, one between Eros and Phanes, Hemera and Aether, one beside Tartarus, and then the rest at the ends of the U, all plain.

"If you would," Aether said with a gesture to the thrones.

Percy smiled as he nodded and took one of the thrones beside Nyx, Rhea taking the other next to him. Andy was between Eros and Phanes while Jason mirrored her with Aether and Hemera. Styx and Phoebe took two of the remaining thrones much to the shock of some.

"Ah, what about the seventh?" Percy asked curiously but was then surprised to see Nico take it. "Wait, what!?" he asked in surprise since he hadn't been aware at all the Nico was to be an heir as well.

It was then that he noted Nico looked different, with swirls of red in his normally pitch black eyes, a slightly larger build, and a slightly darker than usual aura around him. It didn't take Percy long to guess who's blessings he had as he looked at Tartarus in a silent question.

Tartarus caught his look before simply saying, "We had a good talk earlier and he seemed up to the challenge."

"Well damn," Percy muttered as he settled in his seat before looking at the tables. "So … how are we starting this?" Before anyone could reply there was a flash in the center of the room making most have to look away.

When the glow died down everyone looked back to see a man, around 6 foot'2 with a very light build bordering on skinny but not quite. He had white hair with a grayish tone and small goatee, dressed in grey suite with small constellations on it. His gray-blue eyes were brimming with intelligence and wisdom thanks to millennia of experience, his aura commanding respect like only a primordial could.

"A, Ouranus, what a pleasant surprise," Nyx greeted as her younger brother smiled while nodding at her.

"A pleasure sister, though I do believe business comes first," he replied.

"Indeed," she agreed before Ouranus turned and looked straight at Thalia, making her squirm slightly under his gaze. "Ah, Thalia Grace, just the girl I was waiting for."

"M-me?" Thalia asked nervously while pointing at herself, her hands freshly healed by Leto when Thalia had sat down a moment ago.

"But of course, I need an heiress don't I?" he retorted to many surprised gasps while Thalia gapped like a fish. "Don't worry dear, we'll talk in detail later but for now, would you do me the honor allowing me to bless you?" he asked before adding, "And don't worry, unlike your brother you don't need to disown your father since his domains already align with my own so there is no risk of you spontaneously combusting from power overload."

"What about the blessing of Artemis?" Jason asked in concern. "Could that with her natural power already be a little much?"

"No since the blessing only gives skills and partial immortality, nothing in the terms of powers," Ouranus replied as Thalia numbly walked up to him before looking him in the face.

"Are you sure it should be me?" she asked as she searched his eyes but Ouranus simply returned a smile.

"You're far stronger than you think Thalia Grace and I know you'll make me proud as an heiress," he said, "Now, hold still."

Ouranus quickly tapped her on the shoulder, making her glow with her blessing for a moment before it died down. Not much changed aside from Thalia suddenly looking in her mid-twenties, her natural age, which meant that she filled out to it leaving her hunter apparel a little too tight. Nyx fixed that though with a snap of her eyes while removing the silver coloration. Percy appreciated the view for a few seconds before noting her eyes. They had deepened to a darker blue with a very light, almost grayish-blue tendrils of electricity passing within her irises and equally glowing pupils.

With her changes finished Ouranus nodded before waving his hand as two new thrones appeared so that he and Thalia could sit. Once everyone was settled Nyx cleared her throat to have the spotlight.

"Okay, now that we have eight seats set, I do believe we can progress with the plan," Nyx said as she turned to Percy. "You remember what I said before about the new council right?"

Percy nodded before facing the others and explaining. "Well, to begin with, most of you already know how the protogenoi have decided to move on and so find heirs to take over their places and form a new council. Nyx originally wanted me to wait until I had at least five seats ready for claiming so that the actual council could form before anything like war is declared. Now that we have eight, it is all a matter of having five claim their domains along with creating a center point to our rule."

"So what are the seats filled exactly?" Lamia asked while raising her hand adorably.

Nyx chuckled before answering, "Percy, heir of Night, Darkness, and Shadow. Andromeda, heiress of Love, Attraction, Desire, and Procreation. Rhea, heiress of Earth. Jason, heir of Light, Day, and Upper Atmosphere. Nico, heir of the Pit. Styx, a new primordial seat of Oaths and Hatred which will be instated with the formation of the council and make sure that even protogenoi will be held to any oath on her name or suffer the consequences. Phoebe, once a titan of Prophecy and now heiress of Anake and the domains of Inevitability, Compulsion, and Necessity. And now Thalia, heiress of Ouranus, the domain of Heavens or All Sky."

Nyx paused for a moment before continuing, "Mind you, these domains might not necessarily be the only ones. Until Phoebe makes her claim and takes her seat in the council, the full control of the domains and the extent of domains to each primordial won't be known. She will be the equivalent of the Fates to the new council."

They sat in silence for a moment as everyone digested the information before Nyx looked to Percy again. He nodded in understanding before clearing his throat and beginning to speak.

"So, though the seats are filled for now, it doesn't mean we are ready to move on. At the moment, aside from myself, Andromeda, Rhea, and Phoebe, the rest haven't even claimed their rights to being heirs yet and are certainly not ready to take over the domains. So until at least one more is ready to become a full primordial, we are going to bid out time and train."

"Jason, Nico, Thalia," Tartarus said in a deep and gravelly voice. "I know this is sudden for you three considering it has only been a few days but you need to prepare for the worst training of your lives. I will oversee it personally."

At his words the three mentioned shuddered, already having premonitions of what Tartarus' training would bring them.

"You'll be in my prayers," Percy said to them while wiping away a tear of sympathy.

All three flipped him the bird in response to many amused chuckles.

"Why are you all laughing?" Nyx suddenly asked before smirking deviously at them. "You've thrown your lot in with us and that means training for you too."

Percy was sure he caught several pathetic whimpers coming from the table as many looked at Nyx in horror.

"But I'm not even fighting," Leto protested.

"True but that doesn't mean I can't prepare you in case you need to defend yourself. The war won't be fought from here but on the surface so you need to be ready. You know the Olympians won't take kindly to you trying to stay neutral," Nyx replied seriously making many sober up.

"So," Damasen started as he leaned down slightly due to his immense size. "What is the plan moving forward?"

"Mostly to train but I will continue on the surface and try to see if there are any other gods that could be convinced to remain neutral. Monsters too now that I think about it … but I really don't like Echidna so that might not work out," Percy answered while rubbing his chin. "I've already got Atlas with us too so the plan for removing the Pillar of the Skies is already prepared."

"How'd you get Atlas!?" Hercules asked incredulously while others just stared at Percy.

He smirked before replying, "I made him a deal. Part of it is me taking the skies from him and then him doing one request for me."

"And after?" Leto asked curiously.

Percy glanced at Rhea who smiled back before he replied, "I'm still angered about how he caused his own daughter's death so there will be a price to pay. It won't be sending him to the Pit or anything but Rhea plans on having him make up for his errors while also taking him off the battlefields … unless he willingly joins on our side. Otherwise, he'll be in a form of house arrest without the actual punishment."

"So how do you plan on making him pay back for his crimes?" Phoebe asked this time.

"Don't worry sister, it will be a productive use of his many skills and talents," Rhea answered this time with a small smile.

"Okay, and how long do you think we have before the Olympians realize something is going on?" Medusa asked.

Before she could be answered another flash illuminated the middle of the room. With it appeared Hecate, dressed in a green chiton and shawl while her brilliantly green eyes glowed with annoyance as she huffed while glaring at Percy.

"What?" he asked after a few seconds of staring.

"You just had to make a show of freeing Hercules?" she asked while tapping her foot.

"It wasn't that bad, all I did was wreck the beach a bit," Percy replied sheepishly.

"Not that bad!?" Hercules chimed in as he looked at Percy as if he'd grown a second head. "You didn't just tear up the beach flaring your power, you made the whole damn island shake and created a storm."

"Whoops?" he said after a few seconds with a shrug.

"Whoops he says!" Hecate shouted while raising her arms in exasperation before looking at some of the others. "The lot of you have basically driven Olympus insane in just a few days."

"Do tell," Nyx said eagerly as she leaned forward.

"Let's recap," Hecate said as she snapped a chair into existence before sitting. "Olympus was already tense with Percy's disappearance and even the Hunt failing to find him. Then, three years ago, Artemis's adopted daughter which was actually a kidnapped Andromeda after Artemis murdered her mortal mother, was taken back by Rhea and Percy in his wolf form under the name 'Umbra'. Don't even forget how he killed her eldest huntress, Phoebe, which made Artemis even worse than before."

"She was her lover," Thalia said making everyone look at her in confusion. "Phoebe … turns out she was Artemis' lover so the death really hit her. The Hunt hasn't had any new members since and Artemis is mostly a shell of herself now."

"Huh, who knew?" Nyx muttered before looking at Hecate to continue.

"So, all of a sudden in the span of three days guess what? Jason finds out his girlfriend is cheating on him with Apollo and catches them in the act …"

"Damn Apollo," Percy and Jason growled at the same time before looking at each other.

"Whoever gets ahold of him first gets to end him," Jason suggested.

"Fair enough," Percy agreed before looking to an increasingly annoyed Hecate as she glared at him. "Ah sorry … please continue …"

Hecate huffed before doing just that. "So that led to a fight which ended with Jason beating Apollo up a little and then Andromeda intervening and actually knocking Apollo out with Mnemosyne clearing his memories along with Jason's ex. So that leads to a confused god thinking he got bested by a demigod that shouldn't be that powerful which, as you all know, Olympus does _not_ like the thought of a demigod strong enough to fight on par with gods running around unsupervised. But, surprise, Jason and Nico disappeared leading to higher tension. Then, the unthinkable happens and Thalia quits the Hunt while telling Artemis off … by the way, very clever to throw out Artemis' relation with her deceased hunter out in open. Zeus caught that since he was listening in because you were badmouthing him and now he's grilling Artemis about it."

Hecate then paused before adding a glare to her look directed at Thalia, "However, saying, 'Umbra says hi' before you left not only sent Artemis into hysterics but also tipped the Olympians off that 'Umbra' is something to watch out for and now they have Lupa's pack on a search for this mystery wolf. Granted what they're most worried about now was the unfamiliar godly power they felt when Hercules was released and trust me when I say, that island was not the only thing shaking… Oh! And Camp Jupiter is going nuts without their Pontifus Maximus and there is even more drama with the actual Olympians themselves."

"Such as?" Hemera asked curiously while chewing on popcorn … since when did she have that?

"Well, with Apollo's recent affair and the fact that he doesn't seem to realize he is married now, Annabeth went off on his ass which meant that Athena was trying to skin Apollo as well. Then there was Zeus going between trying to hold Athena back while glaring at Artemis for finding a loophole in her maiden oath. Then there was Aphrodite crying her eyes out ever since she had a falling out with her daughter a day after the cheating incident which meant Ares was annoyed to Hades and back while trying to pick a fight with anybody. I swear, at this point just keep doing what you're doing and Olympus will implode before you can even think of declaring war," Hecate finished while slumping in her chair after getting everything off her chest.

Everyone sat in stunned silence after listening to all that, trying to simply imagine the havoc on Olympus at the moment. Percy would have laughed at some of the faces if he wasn't concerned for a particular goddess. He glanced at Rhea beside him and he saw that she was thinking along the same lines as him so he turned back to Hecate and asked, "What of Hestia?"

He got some odd looks but he ignored them as Hecate sat straighter before answering, "The same as she's been ever since your disappearance. Quiet, doesn't really even bother trying to stop arguments anymore. I hear she sometimes talks with Hades when he bothers to show up for meetings but otherwise she's just … there."

Percy frowned as he looked down at his lap. He felt Rhea take his hand and squeeze it for comfort but he still couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to see Hestia. If there was anyone who deserved to know what was going on and be taken away from Olympus and their misery, it was Hestia. He wanted to contact her so badly but then again, most of the hearths she goes to are in the camps or the main hearth and her palace. He could get to her easily but not unnoticed which would mean letting the Olympians officially know that a threat is rising.

He glanced at Rhea again, meeting her gaze as they had a silent conversation on the span of seconds before nodding. Perhaps they could openly declare war yet but it didn't mean they were going to wait that long to get Hestia with them.

"So, moving on …" Nyx continued after some silence, discussing in detail some of the movements and plans made for the future and who's roles would be where.

Percy tuned it out though, already knowing most of them as his thoughts strayed to warm, orange eyes and a smile capable of melting anyone's heart. ' _I'm coming Hestia … just remember my promise …'_

* * *

 **Oh, nearly done with the building chapters and close to the true beginning of the story! BTW, everyone's clear that there will be lemons right? Good but I'll put warnings otherwise.**

 **Another question: Who should be the first Olympian to die because I can't decide how to properly kick off the war. Any Olympian save: Artemis, Zeus, Poseidon, is fair game.**

 **Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and hope to see you all next time! A pleasure.**


	14. As Time Passes

**Another chapter! I am SO SORRY for the late update but I've been crazy busy! That won't happen again (hopefully). Nearly 50+ reviews and I'm feeling the love, thank you all for the input! The decision on first Olympian to bite the dust is set but I'll keep it a surprise! Now onwards with the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot**

* * *

 **One Year Later (Five Tartarus)**

Percy looked on silently from his perch at the bay, his mind wandering from place to place. He thought to his cousins and their training, his allies and their maneuvers under the nose of Olympus, and his growing feelings of love.

Love.

It had been some time since he truly thought of the word and what it meant to him. He thought he knew when he'd tried dating Annabeth only to have it broken with her lies and the meddling of Aphrodite so he closed his heart off. He learned to fear the pain of heartbreak and his emotions even as one goddess slowly rekindled a spark of hope in him but he didn't realize it until she wasn't with him. Perhaps it was a higher destiny that another goddess, the very mother of the first one, would feed and nurture that spark into becoming a roaring fire.

Passionate and strong, capable of incinerating anything that dared try and harm either of them now. He'd come to grips with it and knew he felt genuine love for Rhea and Hestia. Every morning waking up with Rhea in his arms felt so right … yet incomplete. As if their final piece of a puzzle was missing. Even Rhea showed signs of thinking the same thing as she sometimes brought Hestia up in conversations, usually on plans of how to bring her to them. Sometimes Percy would even notice that Rhea would unconsciously search for an extra presence while asleep, one arm around Percy and the other grasping at the empty space on his other side.

He brought it up and she tried to play it off as missing Andromeda since his sister had more or less kicked the habit of sneaking into their room when she was around though she did appear from time to time. She'd actually spent a fair amount of time in the Palace of the Sky nowadays, helping with Thalia and Jason's training since Tartarus had to focus greatly on Nico though the three were tested every week by Tartarus to make sure they were up to his standards. Still, with Andy mostly out and the other immortals each busy with their own tasks or training, Percy and Rhea had a lot of time to themselves to just talk.

They discussed everything. Fears and hopes, ambitions and ideas for the world once this was all over … and the possibility of starting a family. It had been a slip of the tongue on Rhea's part but Percy had simply beamed at her and told her how he'd always wanted for form a big family which made her smile in turn. Of course they both had a growing worry of how Hestia would react to them already being together … but they'd walk that bridge when they got there.

Otherwise everything was business as usual. Olympus had settled down slightly though Hecate reported that tensions were still there … but now Hades was another inside man. Nico had been successful with convincing his father (and bribing Persephone) to join them. With that now they had free reign to travel the Underworld and Percy made one trip that was long overdue. He and Andromeda got to visit their mother and Paul for a day thanks to Hades. It had been an emotional time and they got to release decades' worth of tears before telling their parents about everything that had happened. But after that visit he'd had probably one of the best nights of his life.

Now it was all a matter of waiting but every day was grating on his nerves. With every moment he wished he could get a move on, to defeat the Olympians before they even realize what is going on. Before it had been about revenge and he still wanted to make most of the Olympians suffer but now, it was a matter of removing those dictators so he and his future family could live a life of peace. He was starting to brood on but then the shadows next to him condensed before Rhea appeared and sat beside him. She didn't say a word as she took his hand in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the night sky and the cool breeze. After a few minutes Rhea broke the silence though as she looked at him, "So, is sitting on the Golden Gate Bridge your favorite spot now?"

Percy smirked as he looked down at the thick fog rolling beneath the bridge, hiding the bay from sight with the city lights beyond.

"Who knows? I just find it relaxing," he replied making her giggle slightly. "So how was your mission?" he asked after a moment.

"It went well," Rhea replied while leaning on his shoulder. "All Ourea besides Olympus himself are now loyal to me giving me another connection to my earth domain."

"I'm guessing Kithairon and Tmolus are the only ones that gave you trouble?" Percy asked while recalling how the mountain gods attacked the Argo II on their way over Northern Italy.

"Of course they challenged me but it wasn't really a hard fight though they were persistent. I made them swear their domains to me just in case," Rhea replied with a smirk.

"So no chance of backstabbing, nice," Percy said with a chuckle before overlooking the bay again.

"And what were you thinking about?" Rhea asked while looking at him intently.

He looked at her for a moment before answering honestly, "A lot of things but it usually went back to Hestia."

"Hmm," Rhea nodded in agreement. "I understand. I want her with us too but it just isn't time yet."

"Yes but when?" he asked as he looked at his clenched fist. "Every day since I left I couldn't help but worry about her. I know what's happening on Olympus must be hard for her but if she speaks out, who knows what they could do to her …"

"Percy look at me," Rhea commanded as she touched his chin and tilted his head in her direction, her hazel-gold eyes staring into his flaming orbs. "They won't touch her and if they do, you and I will go there and tear them apart ourselves but until then, have faith that she'll be okay."

They kept their eyes locked for several seconds before Rhea leaned in and kissed him. He responded in kind, his arms quickly wrapping around her waist before bringing her closer until she was moved onto his lap, straddling him. Their kiss turned into a heated make-out as Rhea's hands dug into his hair while his arms squeezed her closer. Then, out of the blue Rhea pulled back and looked at him with dangerous eyes.

"You know I love you … and I love my daughter. She is the only one that still prayed to me during difficult times wishing for guidance and it broke my heart that we couldn't see each other thanks to Zeus imprisoning me. I miss her and want her here just as much as you but right now … I'm going to be a little selfish."

"Wha—"

He didn't get to finish as the shadows enveloped them and in a few seconds dumped them out on his bed in the House of Night in the same position. Suddenly Rhea pushed him back until he was laying down before running her hands over his chest.

"I know she'll feel hurt at first when we tell her about us but I also know that she loves you. I remember some of her last prayers about a man that had finally taken her notice even if she never named you. She'll find it odd but I'm confident she'll accept it just as I did … however," She suddenly growled as her fangs elongated and her green pupils narrowed into slits. "Right here and now, I am not going to wait to fully become yours and make you only mine for the time I have you."

With that she snapped her fingers, making her clothes aside from her lacy black bra and panties to disappear.

"So Percy," she said as she leaned down and nibbled his ear making him groan. "Make me _yours_."

 **Lemon**

* * *

He didn't wait to respond as he willed away most of his clothes aside from his boxers before he pulled her face to his and attacked her lips, using his own fangs to nibble on the tender flesh. He continued the assault as his hands greedily explored her toned body. Tan and silky skin, formed to perfection with her constant training giving her an exquisite figure while also retaining her curves in all the right places. How did he ever end up so lucky? Well, now wasn't the time to wonder about it.

He sat up with Rhea still in his lap, his tongue dueling hers as his fingers fumbled for the clip of her bra making her giggle slightly into the kiss. Soon enough he got the infernal fabric out of the way and leaned back to admire the view. Perky D-cups bordering on DD with nipples already hardening as she looked at him with a golden flush.

"Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?" he asked as he breathed over her breasts making her shudder.

"Y-you could more ofte-ah!"

She couldn't finish as his mouth found its way to her right breast while his l hand kneaded her left one. She started to mewl and even purr at times as he treated her girls with affection, lightly sucking and at times nibbling to make her gasp in surprise. Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer as her back arched, begging him to continue.

He soon released his first prisoner with a wet pop before transferring to her other breasts, his hands following suite as Rhea moan and squirmed in his lap. He worked on her tirelessly, at times adding a rough squeeze that made her cry out in delight, all the while murmuring his name for motivation. Soon enough her breasts were glistening with his saliva and glowing hues of gold from the groping as he leaned her down onto her back. He kissed her again as his hands trailed up her legs, caressing her thighs and ghosting past her panties much to her disappointed whine.

He smirked into the kiss before he started to slowly descend her body, leaving feather light kisses all the while. She continued to squirm under him in impatience but that made him just go slower as he relished in her need for him and his touch. But soon enough he got to where his face was only a few inches above her panties and the scent of her arousal was overwhelming to the point he was drooling. Then, while looking up and locking his eyes with hers, he grabbed onto the waistband of her panties with his mouth and slowly pulled them down.

Her blush got more intense as she bit her finger while looking at him strip off the last bit of her clothing, exposing her to him completely. Once the last article of clothing was gone Percy trailed kisses up her legs and inner thighs. Soon enough he arrived at his destination and looked at her lower lips for the first time. The glistening golden-hued flesh, devoid of any hair or marks to suggest they've ever even been used before, begging for his attention.

He gave a wolfish smirk as he looked up at Rhea again and murmured, "Beautiful …" as he slowly descended before giving her one tentative kiss. The taste of her honey filled his mouth as he gave kiss after agonizingly slow kiss to her lower lips as she gasped and moaned for more. Soon he obliged with one long lick, making Rhea shudder as she arched her back with a tiny stream of her nectar flowing out of her pussy.

"Already?" he teased as she came down from her high but Percy restarted his assault before she could become coherent.

She gasped as he licked and sucked with vigor, her hands shooting down to hold his head in place as her hips rolled onto him. He relished in her taste and sounds before he probed her entrance with his tongue before diving in, making her give a small scream of ecstasy. He could feel her velvety walls pulse and massage his tongue as he explored every inch of her.

After a few minutes he introduced one finger to her, feeling her tightness and surprisingly a barrier further in making him look at her in surprise. She caught his looks and muttered, "Bath … Greece … years ago …" and he understood. She'd bathed in the sacred pools hidden in Greece created by Hera to return maidenhood. So Rhea had effectively turned herself into a virgin just for him. That made him smile at her with love before it turned into a grin as he attacked again even fiercer.

It took him only a few minutes to have her moaning and nearly thrashing as her thighs clamped around his head while her walls started to pulse. He knew she was close and quickly added a second finger before biting at her clit, making her scream as she came onto his mouth. He happily lapped at her juices to extend her high to the point she was panting with her tongue hanging out of her mouth as her chest heaved. Once she was spotless he felt her tug his head up to meet her in a fiery kiss

As they kissed she flipped them over, her hands lightly trailing her sharpened nails over his taut skin and muscles making him groan. He felt her smirk as he moaned when she rubbed him through his boxers. She soon pulled back and started to kiss down his neck and chest as her hand slipped into his boxers before embracing him fully. He groaned again at the softness of her hand as she continued lower until she looked up at him as well before smirking while snapping her fingers.

With that his boxers disappeared, setting him free as she glanced at his rod in her grip and licking her lips. She gave him a few pumps as she looked at him with sultry eyes as her mouth hovered over his tip.

"What do you want Percy?" she asked in a husky tone as she stroked him at a maddeningly slow pace.

"You," he grounded out as he looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Oh, be a little more specific," she teased before blowing on his tip.

"I want to feel you, to take you," he continued as he looked into her challenging eyes.

"And …?" she asked innocently as she actually slowed down her hand, trying to push him further.

"I want … to make you mine, to erase the very thought of any other male ever touching you," he growled with a sudden wave of possessiveness making her purr in pleasure.

"That's right … be my big bad wolf," she hummed before she lowered down and ran her tongue from his base to the tip.

He groaned at the wet feeling as one of his hands went to her head and trailed through her rich brown hair. It didn't take much more encouragement before she gave his tip a kiss. Then, without warning she enveloped his tip in her mouth making his hips buck in response. She smirking around him before she took more of him with every bob of her head. He was groaning and moaning at the tightness and warmth of her mouth as he watched her, their eyes locked the whole time. He could feel her tongue running over his shaft and swirling around with every time she sucked.

He threw his head back at a particularly strong suck before he looked back at her, mesmerized by her beauty as she focused on his dick. Then he noticed that one of her own hands had lowered to play with herself as she sucked him off making him growl slightly as he reached for her arm and pulled it up. She paused in surprise while raising her face to look at him but her gave her a wolfish grin before saying, "Nah uh. If you want to be pleasured, I'll do it and if you're impatient, then the quicker you finish me the sooner I get to you."

She whimpered in response but he could see the delight and increased arousal in her eyes as she sped up, this time taking his length completely until he felt the back of her throat. He groaned even louder at the feeling before his dick started to twitch letting Rhea know he was close. After another minute she gave him a rougher suck making him clench his teeth before muttering, "I cumming!"

She only sped up further before burying his cock in her throat as he came, launching his chilled ropes into her. She didn't gag or spill a drop of him as she swallowed it all before taking his dick out with a wet pop leaving it spotless.

"Minty," she hummed as she crawled up his body.

"And you're sweet," he replied with an underlying growl before he had her on her back again.

He kissed her again as he lined himself up with her entrance, rubbing the tip against her wet folds to lube up as she moaned from the contact. He then pulled back and looked at her face, their eyes clear of any lust at that moment. He grabbed one of her hands and interlaced their fingers as he kissed her tenderly before asking, "Are you ready?"

She nodded before saying, "I love you."

"And I love you," he replied as he slowly eased himself in.

Her free hand went to his shoulder and gripped him tightly as he stretched her open before she muttered, "You're definitely bigger than he was."

"Good," Percy said with a smirk as he looked into her eyes. "Because he'll never touch you again since you're _mine!_ "

"Yours," she replied happily before squirming slightly. "Now make it official."

"Gladly," he replied before he thrust past her barrier in one smooth motion.

Rhea gasped before biting onto his shoulder hard enough to draw ichor as he squeezed her hand and said sweet nothings into her ear, all the while biting back his own groan of pleasure. Her tightness was astounding and the warmth of her velvety flesh embracing him made him want to take her again and again but he controlled himself. It took a minute or so before she released the bite and nodded to him. He responded by pulling out until it was only the tip before ramming back in making her gasp as she clutched him close. Soon he set a tempo of slow withdrawal and strong entry as she moaned to the heavens in his ear, her nails slowly digging into his back. He hissed at the sensation of her nails-turned-claws combined with her tightness and sheer heat.

His hands quickly moved to her hips before lifting them up slightly and ramming even faster into her, making her moan even harder at the new sensations. He relished in the sight of her breasts giggling as her face was flushed golden, her eyes clouded with lust and love as she begged him for more. He happily obliged as he threw more force with every thrust making the entire bed shake … or was it the whole room?

He didn't care as he latched mouth onto one of her breasts without losing pace, making her gasp in surprise before she clutched onto his head to stop him from getting away. They kept that rhythm for several minutes as her pants and moans filled his ears. Soon enough he felt her walls starting to pulse and tighten letting him know that she was close again.

"Percy … harder," she begged as her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Of course my queen," he answered into her ear before grabbing her hips and pounding away more intensely.

"Yes!" Rhea moaned as she arched her back and rolled her hips in sync to his thrusts.

Then, she screamed to the high heavens as her walls clamped down on him and her juices squirted onto his crotch. At the feeling of her orgasm and the increased friction he was pushed over the edge so he sheathed himself fully in her before cumming as well, filling her up with his seed as she moaned at the feeling. He could feel her milking him for every drop he was worth, their orgasms extending with their joined bliss. Their high lasted for nearly a minute before Percy sighed in content as he withdrew himself and laid beside Rhea, pulling her onto his chest.

 **Lemon Over**

* * *

She eagerly nuzzled into him with a subtle purr as their legs remained intertwined. He in turned nuzzled the top of her head as he took in her scent like a cool mountain covered in honeysuckles. He then glanced down at her body as it radiated with her afterglow making him immensely proud at satisfying her so well. He then had his eyes trail to her belly button before a sudden thought came to him.

"Ah Rhea …" he said somewhat nervously as she looked at him with her loving eyes.

"Yes?" she asked as she moved her face closer.

"Did you … ah … use a safety spell or something? Since it completely slipped my mind," he said as he glanced down her body to get the point across.

He wanted children with her sure, but certainly not yet when war was imminent. However, his worries were turned into confusion as Rhea giggled at him before explaining.

"No worries, I had a talk with Andy a year or so back. She made it so I can't get pregnant until she removes the spell so we're completely safe."

"Oh," he said dumbly as she giggled even more.

"Silly, of course I thought ahead for this," she said before kissing him on the nose.

He chuckled before kissing her tenderly as he pulled her close. He then felt a wolfish grin form as he nibbled along her neck as his hands fell to her rear and giving a firm squeeze making her moan.

"Feeling like another round?" he asked before biting at her ear.

He suddenly felt himself lying flat as Rhea straddled him with a dangerous smirk on her face, a haughty and challenging aura coming off her. His inner wolf howled at the challenge to his dominance as his desire for her grew … only to make her submit later on.

"I thought you'd never ask …"

* * *

 **Another Year (Five Tartarus)**

Two figures clashed in a massive arena, their forms moving as blurs of white and black with their every strike. The coliseum like building was almost empty aside from the combatants as they fought on like the very forces of nature they were. A spark in one corner, a crash at the other end of the arena, a slash mark suddenly appearing along the ground. That was the only signs of the fighters visible to most eyes aside from the one overseeing them from his seat as the ruler and owner of this arena.

Tartarus watched patiently, his experienced eyes at times having difficulty tracking the movement of blades even as he followed the two fighters easily enough. He felt a pride unlike any he'd had before, looking at the results of his careful training and mentoring. ' _Those two are ready for this war and they will only get stronger from here on out,'_ he thought as he stood and watched as the fighters charged at each other again.

They clashed in the center creating a shockwave massive enough to shake the very arena to its base, two unique blades of crystal darkness against a sword of light. Both combatants remained locked in a standstill, their strength matched at the moment but the warrior in black was slowly forcing the one in white down to a knee. Before they could go on Tartarus silently raised his hand and both fighters immediately stopped before turning to face him in respect.

Tartarus nodded in approval before flashing before them, taking them in with a critical eye. The fighter in black was Percy, dressed in his usual coat of darkness morphed into a sleeveless muscle shirt and black leather pants, _Sin_ and _Purgatory_ resting at ease in his hands by his sides. The fighter in white was Jason, dressed in a similar white muscle shirt, his own unique jacket of light formed into a biker fashion formed after he claimed his right to be an heir, light grey jeans, and lightly tanned boots. In his hands was his sword, _Revelation,_ a weapon formed of Tartarean steel and solid light ore obtainable only in the realm of the Heaven's with Aether's help. It was forged into the fashion of a European longsword with a hand and a half grip, a core and handle of the Tartarean steel with the body of the blade being formed from the solid light..

Both fighters radiated immense power the likes of which would make the Olympians and Titans alike cower in fear. The last two years of training for the three newest had been brutal as they needed to catch up to Percy, Andromeda, and Rhea but now that gap was only marginal. Percy was still the strongest while Rhea and Jason were more or less even, followed by Andromeda and Thalia matching each other and Nico was the last behind but the requirements of him becoming an heir were more complicated so as of now he was the only one not to claim being an heir yet.

As for the rest of their forces, the training had been very successful. It was trickier with those needing to be seen on Olympus but with a few minor charms thanks to the efforts of Nyx and Hecate, their increases in power were well hidden. Even his disappointing son, Damasen, had become an accomplished fighter and a usual sparring partner of Hercules. His immense size and strength meant he was one of the few who could fight fist to fist with the god of Strength, while his intelligence and strategy kept Hercules on his feet. Others that had become good friends and fighting partners had been Leto, Phoebe, Lamia, and Medusa since each had a different preferred weapon and style while fighting in battle royals.

Overall their forces were coming along nicely and soon it would be the time to act. He could tell that Percy and Rhea were particularly antsy about getting Hestia here … but could it be done now? He scanned Percy intently as the pair finally sat and recovered after their spar that had been raging for nearly three days with both using a multitude of skills they helped each other create. One particularly deadly ability both used was becoming partially darkness/light as they move around at a pace even Nyx and Aether couldn't keep up with while the two could still attack and weave through multiple opponents.

' _He could fight his way out with her easily but then again giving the Olympians sign of their rise could be problematic as well,'_ he thought before he noticed a presence approaching. Jason and Percy sensed it too as they looked away for a moment just before Nyx flashed in.

"Hello boys," Nyx greeted as she looked around before her eyes focused on Percy.

"Hello Lady Nyx," Jason, the ever formal, replied while Percy just waved with a smile.

"Hey Nyx, what can we do for you?" Percy asked as he turned his swords back into rings while Jason with the same but his sword turned into a white-gold watch instead.

"Oh, it's not what you can do for me, it's what I can do for you," she replied making Percy raise an eyebrow. Noting his look she elaborated, "It's time."

"Time? Time for what exactly?" Percy asked with narrowing eyes.

"To get your little goddess back," Nyx replied making Percy's eyes widen.

"R-really?" Percy asked with a hopeful glint.

"Sister, are you sure?" Tartarus asked as he faced his sister.

"I am," she replied seriously. "If he does it now he can still hide his power beneath the charm so the Olympians won't know what he is and if Rhea goes with him in the form of 'Mira' and 'Umbra', it will throw Olympus off the trail."

"So how are we going to do this?" Percy asked eagerly making Nyx smirk.

"Why, a public kidnapping of course!"

* * *

 **Finally time for Hestia! Yes, I've been so excited for this and more! Hope everyone enjoyed and let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	15. Hope Comes Home

**A nice big chapter for everyone! Lots of positive feedback on the last chapter and lemon. Those will appear time to time but this is mostly for serious and darker stuff so yeah. I see everyone is enjoying it though! Read on!**

 **Disclaimer: Only plot is mine**

* * *

Hestia slowly walked along the streets of Olympus as she headed in the direction of the throne room. Her face was near blank, her orange eyes lacking the usual fire in them. Over a decade had passed since Percy left and she still missed him as much, if not more. His smile, his mischievous smirk, those deep sea-green eyes and unruly hair … but most importantly his warmth. He had been like a walking beacon of hope and courage, always striving for the better future against all odds. It was that and how he felt just before he left that made her feel so cold and lonely without him.

It seemed that with his disappearance, tragedy after tragedy followed suit and most of them were from the Olympian's actions. The council had fallen apart to the point most looked at each other with open hostility or indifference. Poseidon rarely attended meetings anymore or moved from Atlantis and she hadn't spoken directly to him in all this time. Tensions between Apollo and Athena were at a near constant high ever since he was caught cheating on Annabeth, his wife. She grimaced at the memory of the wedding, knowing it was more of a political play on Zeus' part and power-grab from Annabeth with her mother's backing.

With Annabeth's marriage, the demigods who respected her and didn't know about her betrayal to Percy saw it as a hope for a better tomorrow. One of their own had succeed in reaching Olympus and having a 'happy' ending, gaining loyalty to Olympus and bringing the Apollo and Athena cabins closer together … until the affair that was. The godly politics had spilled into both camps with the respective children at each other's throats during war games and such. At this point Hestia was wondering if Annabeth would ever have a repeat of what she did to Percy and have an affair but then again her pride wouldn't let herself be brought down to a place similar to Aphrodite in that regard so Apollo was safe from that particular rage that he would doubtlessly have if any man dared touch Annabeth that wasn't him.

' _Hypocrites the lot of them,'_ Hestia thought as she recalled Poseidon's words on Sally and how she was no longer his concern just because she'd moved on with her life. Otherwise there was the infiltration of Artemis' Hunt, the kidnapping of Andromeda, and slaughter of Phoebe… She'd seen the state of the body in a memory projection since Artemis had been too distraught to even speak during that emergency meeting so all the Olympians got a prime view of the carnage left behind by this 'Umbra'. Aphrodite had to leave from feeling sick at the sight with Dionysus close behind her. That event hadn't helped the tensions at all and Artemis had the gall to try and come to Hestia for comfort.

Never before had Hestia outright rejected someone in need but she didn't even flinch as she told Artemis to leave her and closed her palace doors in her once favorite niece's face. Things got quiet for a few years then, Hestia simply remaining silent as she watched her family decay by the day as they got angrier with each other and made their heroes angrier as well, which ultimately went back to them. It was a vicious cycle of self-perpetuating hate. Then disaster struck again in a mere three days with the revelation of Piper cheating on Jason (thanks to the meddling of Aphrodite), the defeating of Apollo and then disappearance of Jason but Nico as well, and finally Thalia leaving the Hunt as well.

That had been particularly nasty since Thalia had openly revealed how Artemis got around her oath making several Olympians lose faith in the huntress and soon enough all of Olympus knew. The twins had become laughing stocks after that week, one for being defeated so soundly without any clue as to what happened and Artemis for even further losses to her Hunt as well as the remaining failures of tracking down Percy or Umbra. Aphrodite was a wreck still after losing her relationship to her favored daughter, Ares was even more irritable, Zeus spent the meetings between scolding a silent Artemis and holding back a furious Athena from murdering her half-brother while the rest of the council watched on in silence.

Lastly had been the release of Hercules and that thoroughly terrified the council since there had been an unknown and clearly powerful presence there during the breaking of the seal keeping the god of Strength contained on the island between the Straights of Gibraltar. Major and minor gods alike had panicked for days but the council quelled them soon enough while managing to keep the information from the camps … but now there were whispers of a new enemy coming along with the ominous name 'Umbra' that Thalia had called on her disappearance.

' _I wonder what the meeting about now is though. It's been quiet again for a year or two,'_ she wondered as she glanced around and noted that she was in the market of Olympus, still on her way to the throne room. It was depressingly empty compared to usual, with only a few minor gods milling around and some salesmen still calling their pitches. However, with her attention elsewhere she didn't notice until too late as a child ran into her. She stumbled a bit as the child squeaked in surprise while falling on her bum. Hestia took in her dark brown hair and light green eyes … though something about her face seemed almost familiar.

"Oh I'm sorry, here, let me help you," she said kindly as she offered a hand which the little girl took eagerly.

"Thank you miss," the little girl, which Hestia assumed was a godling considering she felt different from any demigod.

"No problem sweetie, just be careful now," she replied while ruffling the girl's head making her pout cutely as Hestia giggled.

"Okay, bye miss!" the girl chirped before she turned and ran down the market before taking an alley and disappearing from sight.

"Hmm … kids," Hestia said with a faint smile before she frowned as she looked at her own hand, noticing for the first time that there was a note in it. "When did … the girl!" she muttered in surprise before looking around but spotted nothing out of the ordinary.

She then looked back at the folded note and slowly opened it before reading the sentence as her eyes widened. Them, the note suddenly caught fire and turned to ash before she could stop it.

"W-what …?" she stuttered as she watched the ash blow away, the words written playing over in her head again and again.

' _Remember my promise … and play along.'_

There was only one person who'd made her a promise she cared about nowadays … and that was Percy. ' _Percy … is he back!? Did he return … for me?'_ she asked herself as a spark of hope ignited within her eyes. Percy, the boy who grew into a man, the man that turned into a hero, the hero that claimed her heart. He was coming back and had told only her about it! She suddenly felt giddy as she quickened her pace to the throne room. The note said to play along so she assumed it meant go about the day as usual. So she did just that as she arrived at her throne soon enough and waited patiently as the others either walked in or flashed in. Once everyone was assembled Zeus called the meeting to order by sending a bolt into the sky. It had gotten so old no one bothered to even roll their eyes.

"This meeting is now in order," he boomed as he looked around the throne room. "Now then, Artemis, anything to report?" he asked testily while rubbing the corner of his lips where Hestia could make out the slightest trace of lipstick … and judging by Hera's fuming expression another child of Zeus was on the way.

"Nothing father," Artemis replied coldly, her eyes never leaving the floor before her.

Zeus scoffed before continuing, "And Lupa? At least her pack should be able to get some results."

Artemis didn't react to the jab, just merely shook her head in the negative as Zeus grumbled before looking to Poseidon. "And you brother, any news from the seas? There was that odd earthquake a year or so back that you claim wasn't your doing."

"Damn near leveled part of the Bay Area in California," Athena added with a snicker at her petty rival.

"It wasn't my doing," Poseidon bit back at the wisdom goddess before looking away.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Zeus cleared his throat to get the attention before continuing. "Very well. Does any other god have anything else to say or report before we move on to the reviews of our domains and any disturbances?"

After a few seconds Aphrodite slowly raised her hand while wiping away at a tear or two.

"Yes Aphrodite?" Zeus asked with a raised eyebrow since Aphrodite never takes an active part of the meetings.

"There is something wrong my lord," Aphrodite answered weakly much to the growing curiosity of the council. "It seems that … I can no longer have children."

She was met with many blank or outright confused faces before Artemis spoke up for the first time, "And? Who cares about your spawns? All they cause is havoc anyways."

Aphrodite got some fire in her eyes as she glared at the huntress. "It matters because it means someone powerful cursed me and I can feel the control of my domain reducing by the day."

"But who could?" Hera asked this time as she leaned forward in interest. "There are no other gods that share your domain aside from some of your children and most of them revolve around lust and sex aside from Cupid but he's your lapdog so he wouldn't try to take control from you."

"I know that," Aphrodite retorted before looking at her own belly sadly. "But then who? And more importantly, why?"

"Maybe it's just a dry spell," Apollo offered as he looked at her before gaining a mischievous smirk. "You could stop by for a checkup and see if everything is working as it should," he finished suggestively only to get Aphrodite to blow up at him.

"I want nothing to do with you bastard," Aphrodite hissed venomously making several gods start in surprise. "I've already lost my daughter because of you."

"Me!?" Apollo asked incredulously before adopting a fake hurt expression. "I'm sorry, did I doll her up and take her to a club? Was I the one crying wolf about 'poor me and my marriage' before convincing her daughter to cheat?"

"Then Grace should have manned up!" Aphrodite snapped angrily. "It was supposed to be simple but you had to tail us and listen in, and what's worse, you intentionally got her caught!"

"So that's what you're worried about?" Hephaestus asked with a raised eyebrow, speaking up for the first time in years, especially after he looked for Hestia's counsel on his inaction and later guilt in regards to Percy. Hestia gave him a scathing remark on how cowards shouldn't speak and he's mostly remained silent ever since. "Not that she cheated but that she was caught and rightfully took out that anger on you."

Aphrodite looked at him in surprise but answered nonetheless. "Don't try to take the high ground oh dear _husband_. You can't come to me with words of 'shame' and 'fidelity' considering you have demigods too. And besides, in a perfect world Piper would have seen that she didn't need Jason and found herself someone to satisfy her. But because it was you," she said while turning a glare to the sun god. "…she thinks I set it up for her to get caught and she disowned me!" Aphrodite said while screaming at the end with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Tch … go ahead, blame it on me," Apollo retorted before muttering not too silently. "… Still gave her the best night of her life."

"How dare you!?" Athena hissed as she stood up while radiating a grey aura, having gotten fed up with her half-brother. "Have you no shame you bastard!? Isn't my daughter enough!?"

"But she's always busy working," Apollo whined back before muttering under his breath. "And she's keeping me on the couch anyways."

"Enough!" Zeus boomed before the argument could escalate while lightning cracked along the skies above them.

As the gods settled while grumbling Hestia caught a light chuckle, barely a whisper with a familiar aura, coming from directly behind her head.

"Don't move," a voice that she'd recognize anywhere whispered before she could in fact turn to look. "Trust me Tia … play along."

"What are you going to do?" she mumbled under her breath while glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to her… the perks of having always been ignored.

"Whisking you away on a black wolf and riding away into the midnight," he whispered into her ear so closely that she could feel his breath making her shudder in a very pleasant way.

Her eyes peaked to the side but they only caught the slightest wisps of shadow making her slightly frown in confusion before she glanced around the room. Only now did she notice that all the dark corners and shadows seemed thicker and the general atmosphere was darker but it seemed most of the Olympians were too caught up in some new argument that Hestia missed the beginning to.

She watched as some accusations about interference in a recent war game for Camp Jupiter as the shadows continued to darken. She glanced to Hades and noted that he was looking at the shadows as well but didn't seem bothered at all. ' _Hades … does he know something?'_ she wondered before a dark and near sinister laugh echoed around the room, silencing the squabbling gods. Then, the shadows seemed to flow like little streams together to the center of the room. They coiled and writhed together until they formed a translucent figure of a faceless man with glowing, icy blue dots for eyes.

The Olympians stared in silence at the shade as it looked back in turn, the laugh still echoing around them. After a while the creepy laugh died down as the shade gave a mock salute to the council before unceremoniously flipping them all the bird. That got the first reactions since its appearance as Zeus started to golden with rage.

"Who are you!? What is your business here!?" Zeus roared while his master bolt crackled in his hands.

"Why hello," the shade replied in a care free tone in the same voice as the laugh that came from the entire throne room rather than one point. "As for why I'm here, well … you'll see soon enough," it replied ominously.

"You dare threaten us!?" Zeus boomed as he stood up with his master bolt itching for a throw.

"But did I state a threat?" the shade asked while tilting its head. "I did no such thing."

"Then what do you want?" Athena asked as she analyzed the shade intently.

"Me?" it asked while pointing at itself, "Nothing … I'm just a reflection of you …"

"What?" Hera asked this time as she narrowed her eyes at the shade.

"Yesss …" it hissed as it looked around. "The demons within your souls … they are so clear. Your doubts, fears, regrets … they sing to the darkness and so I come to them."

The shade drifted in midair as it approached Hera, making the goddess in question to narrow her eyes more while discreetly leaning back and away from the shade.

"Hmm …" the shade hummed while stroking a none-existent beard. "Now I see why everyone calls you a heartless bitch …"

"What!?" Hera gasped in shock while some jaws dropped at the audacity of the shade.

"How does it feel?" the shade asked nonchalantly. "Knowing that your bastard of a husband constantly picks mere mortals over you. That his every promise of fidelity is a lie and that you are the laughing stock of every married woman that even knows a remote bit of your past for even believing him. That he forced you to marry only to fill this farce of a council with his bastards." Hera looked like she was in total shock as she looked at the shade, her normally alabaster skin looking as pale and thin as dried-out paper. "What a pitiful goddess," the shade sighed as it floated away without a second glance at the frozen goddess.

It floated uninterrupted until it stopped right in front of Dionysus, the pudgy god having stirred from his usual slumber to glare at the shadowy construct with scorn.

"Ahh, the hypocrite," the shade said while opening its arms in a grand gesture. "Hates demigods, calls them arrogant and prideful, that they lie and only harm others. Who was once a demigod again?" it asked with a tilted head. "Got godhood for some sorry reason and not even a good one. Tch, wine? More like god of whining and all the while takes his little princess, the sweet Diaphone, whispers sweet nothings and gets her hand in marriage … only to be as unfaithful as his father and now is stuck with the brats he hates." The shade leaned closer, completely ignoring the golden tone of the god's skin as rage grew within the purple eyes behind the shades. "You hate them because they are a reminder of your own failure, your own pathetic existence."

By now Dionysus was literally shaking with rage but still made no move to attack making Hestia wonder what exactly was he waiting for? By all means the shade had said enough to warrant violence from the volatile gods … maybe they each were too curious to see what the shade did or were waiting for a signal to attack. All the while the shade moved on, stopping at Ares and looking him up and down. The god in question puffed out his chest while leveling an aura of hostility but the shade remained impassive.

Then, with a dismissive sniff it moved on much to the shock and rage of the war god that watched on, too stunned to try to attack. The shade then stopped before Athena. The goddess looked back with a poker face, starring at the shade before it seemed to chuckle but sounded more like a raspy breath than anything.

"Unimpressive," it drawled while looking at her and Hestia saw the first bits of Athena normal poker face crack. "I prefer you as Minerva. It's a much more accurate representation."

Athena's eyes started to get stormy at the statement. Even with the Parthenos returned, she still had a deep seated hate for the Romans even if she hid it for the sake of civility whenever having to interact with them in the recent years.

"I wonder," the shade said as it floated around while turning upside down and still within Athena's line of sight. "Are you as easy as your daughter?"

That got a very visible reaction as Athena shot up to her feet with an angry aura around her but the shade gave no pause.

"Are you sure she wasn't really the slut's daughter instead? I mean, she got tied up with the manwhore and I bet yah she's ridding some minor god or even demigod right now while hubby is here," it continued as Apollo also shot to his feet with a golden aura forming around him while flashing in warning but Hestia could tell by his glazed eyes that he was also using his senses as a god to find Annabeth.

"Don't you dare speak about my daughter," Athena said through grit teeth.

"I wonder if you'll ever break your vow only to become unfaithful too. I mean, it probably runs in the family at this point and you're the only one left given the little moon's unmasking … technically," it continued before ducking down as Athena's fist swung at it but missed.

Seemingly finished with Athena the shade moved on until it stopped before Artemis and looked at the goddess with what Hestia could only call hate, even with the expressions limited to the icy blue eyes and shifting of the eyebrows.

"Ah yes … the hunter," it spat venomously.

The shade suddenly shifted around until it looked like the hunter Artemis lost, Phoebe, making the goddess' breath hitch as she looked at it with trembling eyes. It was a near perfect replica, only composed of shadow and the icy blue eyes.

"Why Artemis," it said in her voice. "You abandoned me …"

"No!" Artemis shouted as she shot up while looking like she was getting ready to cry.

"I called and prayed …" the shade of Phoebe continued on in an empty voice. "… But you never came … it hurts," it said as suddenly a chunk of the shade's leg disappeared as if bitten away. "… You left me …" The shade continued to fall apart as if assaulted, bits and pieces ripping off into the darkness until only the head remained unscratched while it stared at Artemis. "I guess I was wrong to love you …"

Artemis' knees started to shake with tears welling up in her eyes before another shade appeared, this time looking like the murdered Paul Blofis. It looked at Artemis as well before a dagger of shadows formed in its hand. The shade raised it above the head of shade Phoebe while it said, "Heartless murderer …" The knife descended as Artemis screamed while simultaneously summoning her bow and launching an arrow at the shade but it passed harmlessly through it.

The knife was plunged into the skull of the shade Phoebe, making it dissolve into shadow before the shade Paul shifted again, this time facing Poseidon completely dismissing the hyperventilating goddess holding a shaky bow. The shade then appeared as Sally as Poseidon paled while staring at it.

"I loved you," it said in her voice. "I protected our son when you left us," it accused as Poseidon shook his head without looking away. "I raised him with love and devotion … and you used him. Now he's gone because you failed him."

"No …" Poseidon murmured as he started to sweat while looking at the shade.

"I found a better man and love," shade Sally continued as Poseidon paled even more. \

"Sally please …" Poseidon started to beg but remained unheard.

"Faithful, considerate, loving," the shade continued as it slowly stepped towards the trembling sea god. "He was a better man, a better husband, a better lover … and a better father than you ever were."

Poseidon started to have tears trail down his cheeks as he looked at the shade but then another knife of shadows appeared and stabbed shade Sally in the back as a harrowing scream echoed around the throne room before whispering, "And you were jealous of a mere mortal … now the guilt and shame will stay until the end of your days."

By now Poseidon sat as a broken man, his eyes empty as he stared at the shade. With the sea god finished it moved to stand before Zeus and hissing, "And the filth to lead them all." It quickly shifted between all sorts of people from across the ages as the voice boomed around them, "Rapist, murderer, liar, cheater, dictator …" The shade then split into three people; Thalia, Jason, and Hercules. All three spoke in the same voice. "Child of Kronos, destined to be betrayed by his own children like his father before him. In the end he shall stand alone, abandoned and lost. You were never the man we called father."

Zeus practically glowed with his rage as he roared while shooting a massive bolt at the shade. There was a blinding light and deafening explosion as the throne room shook. Hestia coughed for a moment before she waved her hand to clear the smoke to see a crater where the shade once stood making her start to worry for Percy. However the laugh returned as the Olympians looked around wildly.

"Fool of a king, you can't destroy your own demons with force alone," the voice said as the shade formed again beside the crater. Then, in a deeper and more sinister voice it spoke as power flooded the room, " **Only through blood and sacrifice can one find redemption … but you are beyond even that. The void beckons Olympians … and the first must fall.** "

Before anyone could say anything Hestia felt the shadows around her condense into tendrils before grabbing onto her. She started in alarm before she remembered Percy's words and calmed down … but not too calm. He said to play along so she did, and the key was selling it. She started to thrash without using any godly power to try and destroy the bonds as they dragged her off her throne to the center of the room.

"Hestia!" several of the Olympians shouted in alarm but didn't move as a dagger of darkness suddenly appeared below her throat.

" **It is only fair** ," the voice said as the shadows lifted her into a sitting up position as they condensed above her. She glanced up to see an enormous shade wolf form, towering above the Olympians even in their godly heights. " **The purest is sacrificed for the sins of the wretches … so says the demon, so says Umbra!** "

At the name several Olympians shot up, Artemis in particular flashing dangerously as she prepared to go into her godly form.

" **It won't matter goddess,** " the wolf said as it looked directly at her. " **You have and will continue … to fail.** "

Before anyone else could say anything the shade wolf released a massive roar laced with power … the same power that released Hercules with a blast of cold wind, sending most of the gods stumbling back onto their thrones. In their daze the wolf looked down at her before she felt a presence brush aside her mental defenses and heard Percy saying, ' _Get ready!'_

With that the wolf lounged and her and 'bit' into her shoulder as it dragged her into the shadows of the floor. Well damn if she wasn't the sibling of the ultimate drama queen for nothing.

"No!" she screamed as fake tears welled up in her eyes. She locked eyes with her two younger brothers before crying at them, "Save me please!"

They shouted her name in reply and dived at her but fell short as the shadows consumed her …

* * *

Hestia felt her entire world shift around wildly for all of three seconds before it settled as two strong arms held onto her. She blushed at the contact as she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to see that it was in fact Percy … and he looked different. She stared into his flaming black eyes, feeling as if she was being drawn into them until Percy spoke.

"Ah … hey?" he said sheepishly as he grinned at her.

It was with the feeling of his breath passing over her face that she realized she'd been leaning closer to him. She almost gasped as her face went golden while she took a step back and glanced around. They were in a large room made of black marble with a ceiling mirroring the night sky. She then heard some chuckling behind her and turned around to a surprising sight. There seated before her were a the lost heroes, several titans, minor gods, and even some primordial gods all looking at a floating sphere currently showing the throne room on Olympus going insane.

"Ah Percy, you're back!" Nyx said cheerily as she got up from and walked towards them while Hestia gapped like a fish at the primordial. "Hello Hestia, welcome to my humble home," she greeted with a warm smile while the others noticed their arrivals as well.

"L-Lady Nyx," Hestia stuttered as she gave a hasty curtsy but Nyx waved it off.

"Now, now, you are a guest so no need for formalities," she said before glancing at Percy. "Wonderful performance by the way. Manipulating shadows into a fake body to taunt them, very creative. How did you get your voice to change though?"

"Hecate taught me a few tricks," Percy replied with a proud smile before it turned into a frown. "I would have done worse but I really didn't want to stick around longer than necessary and risk actually attacking them yet."

"Understandable," Nyx agreed before she turned to face Hestia. "And how are you Hestia? I hope the trip wasn't too bumpy."

"No, it was very quick," she said with some nervousness, not wanting to possibly offend the primordial.

It seemed that Nyx noticed as she raised an eyebrow before speaking, "Relax little one, I'm not going to eat you or anything. You are precious to many here and are more than welcome to make yourself comfortable … well, as comfortable as you can get in Tartarus."

"I take offence to that," an enormous man hidden in a black cloak said as he joined them with his glowing red eyes looking down at them, his sheer power and presence alone tipping her off to who he is.

"T-Tartarus," Hestia squeaked as her knees started to shake but then she felt a comforting hand being placed on her shoulder.

"It's okay Hestia," Percy said in a soft tone making Hestia relax instantly. He then pointed to their side and she followed his finger to gasp in surprise.

There stood her mother, Rhea, after millennia of being separated. Her mother looked slightly different as well but at the moment Hestia didn't care as tears built up in her eyes.

"Mom …" she said softly as her mother nodded before opening her arms in an invitation.

Hestia sniffed a bit before she ran forward and embraced her mother, feeling her arms wrap around her for the second time in all her life. The only other time had been when she'd been born just before her father had swallowed her. After the war Rhea had been banished with the other titans before Hestia could try to form any sort of mother-daughter relationship with her. Only Hestia's prayers had been able to get to where her mother had been hidden and imprisoned by Zeus … but now maybe she had a chance of creating that relationship. She certainly needed it and the guidance since she had no idea how to go about telling Percy about her feelings.

Their hug lasted for several minutes and in that time Hestia felt several presences approach around her. Once she released her hold on her mother she looked around to many smiling faces that made her smile in return.

"Hello Lady Hestia, it's been a while," Thalia greeted first followed by her brother.

"It's a pleasure to finally have you here with us," he said with a polite bow.

"Yeah, Percy and Rhea wouldn't shut it about wanting to bring you to us already," Nico added with a snicker only for a young woman with odd purple and blue eyes to smack the back of his head.

"Don't tease them Nico," she said before she looked at Hestia kindly, "And hi Hestia, I'm Andromeda Jackson."

Hestia gasped in surprise as the group chuckled at her before Andromeda continued, "I know, I'm used to that reaction. Long story short, Percy and Rhea are the ones who rescued me and brought me here. Time passes five times faster as well so I aged sooner."

"And all your eyes?" she asked as she glanced around the group consisting of Percy, Rhea, Jason, Thalia, Andy, Nico while the others in the room watched on from a respectful distance.

They looked at each other with her question before they focused on Percy making him chuckled before he answered. "We'll, we're all going to become protogenoi."

"What!?" she shouted in shock much to their amusement.

"Yeah, don't worry we'll explain more later at dinner," Rhea said offhandedly before taking her hand, "For now you and me have some catching up to do."

With that Hestia was dragged away from the conference room as she dubbed it, while shooting one last glance at Percy. He saw it and gave her a faint smile with a nod before he returned to speaking with Nyx and Tartarus. After that Hestia followed her mother until they arrived in a beautiful courtyard with grass made of shadows and ice, decorated with all manner of statutes, and a huge white oak in the center. Once there Rhea led her to a bench where the pair sat down before Rhea faced her with a beaming smile.

"So, how have you been?" Rhea asked eagerly to which Hestia smiled before having a mother-daughter talk for the first time.

So they spoke for several hours, Hestia telling her everything that had happened in the decade of silence and how she'd been handling it. Rhea looked particularly livid with her account of the council meeting leading to Sally and Paul Blofis' murders and Andy's kidnapping. Apparently she'd already had all the details but hearing it from Hestia herself and how'd she felt during it had just had more oil to the flame. Rhea than informed her of how she'd stopped considering Hera, Zeus, and Poseidon her children long ago while being on the fence about Demeter. Another surprise had been that Hades had been in cahoots with them for a few months now and they'd been looking for the best opportunity to take her from Olympus.

They didn't want her to suddenly disappear since it would (correctly) lead the Olympians to thinking they were being betrayed. It was better that they thought a new enemy had appeared and was slowly kidnapping all their assets and important gods rather than having them try to 'clean house' as it were. Hestia understood the reasoning even though she felt a little disappointed that they couldn't have told her sooner. Olympus had stopped housing her family for some time now and it was only after Poseidon had struck her that she'd truly come to realize it. The hearth had all but died in that decade of loneliness in the throne room and now Hestia could feel that for the first time since the very day of their triumph over the Titans, the Hearth of Olympus had been extinguished.

After they talked on that the conversation settled down into a comfortable silence as the pair looked on at the courtyard around them. It was then that Hestia thought about bringing up the topic of Percy so she fidgeted for a moment before poking her mom lightly to get her attention.

Once she had it she spoke shyly, "Mother … I need advice on something …"

"Yes?" Rhea asked with a tilt of the head.

"H-how … would you go about telling someone you like them?" she asked nervously as Rhea's eyes widened before she glanced away.

"Well, it all depends on the person I guess," she answered after a few seconds. "Some people are best to approach directly while others require a more … subtle touch."

"Oh," Hestia murmured as she thought about Percy.

' _Definitely the kind of man that needs direct and blunt … and possibly a sign considering how dense he could be at times,'_ Hestia thought as a faint smile formed on her lips even as she blushed. She wanted to tell him but was extremely nervous about it. What if he thought she was joking? She is a virgin goddess after all so maybe he wouldn't even think it was possible to be with her. She was already sure of herself being willing to break that oath if it was him … but she wasn't sure if he felt the same about her. It had been a decade on the mortal world and apparently five times longer down here … so what if?

"So who's the lucky man?" Rhea asked breaking Hestia out of her thoughts,

"Huh?" she replied in surprise as she looked at her mother again.

"Who have you fallen for?" Rhea asked again making Hestia blush shyly.

"… P-Percy …" she whispered but her mother didn't look surprised at all.

In fact she just nodded in understanding but something in her eyes worried Hestia. It was brief but she caught it. A glint of guilt but it disappeared quickly and Rhea stood up before Hestia could ask about it.

"Come on, it's time for dinner," Rhea said with a cheery tone that Hestia found suspicious while she was offered a hand.

However, Hestia shook it off for now as she accepted the hand and was lead back into the House of Night …

* * *

"So, how are you liking it so far?" Percy asked her as they walked around in the courtyard again.

Hestia sighed contently as a reply while the pair simply walked closely to each other. Dinner had been a rather pleasant and entertaining affair in the House of Night. At first Hestia had been a little uneasy with how everyone, and she meant _everyone_ , got together in an absurdly long table to sit and eat together. It had been such a foreign feeling to her, having everyone together like that as they ate, joked, teased, and generally had a wonderful time together … like a real family.

She hadn't even really been that surprised when she met more protogenoi and was formally introduced with some she'd known about but never encountered such as Damasen, Medusa, and Lamia (those two really surprised her). Hades and Persephone had shown up as well much to her delight and then the dinner had progressed as it usually went with the addition of filling Hestia in on the details of what exactly had been going on in the past decade.

Learning that all those great heroes had effectively become immortals beyond anything the Olympians or Titans before them could ever hope to match had been humbling to say the least. That and with Percy's new look she found it even harder to not look at him, especially his eyes which were so similar to her own made her feel warm inside. However she'd been a little disappointed when her mother and Nyx took the two seats at his sides but she didn't let it bother her much.

' _At least now we're alone,'_ she thought happily as she glanced at him as he walked beside her. He looked so handsome with those eyes and darker hair that made him feel mysterious and dangerous … and she'd be lying if she said that didn't like what she saw. However, now wasn't the time for those thoughts so she shook them away making Percy glance at her curiously.

"So Percy …" she said softly as she stopped walking and turned to fully face him. "Can I telling you something?"

"Of course," he said as he looked down at her. ' _Why did he have to get so tall?'_ she mused before continuing.

"You know … I missed you after you left."

"I missed you too," he replied as he stepped a little closer. "Every day I thought about you. I've been waiting decades just to bring you here, to keep my promise just to you."

Hestia's heart jumped with his every word as smile grew on her face.

"It was the same for me and in that time I realized something …" she trailed off as she raised a hand to gently cup his cheek. "And that is that … I love you."

At her words Percy's eyes widened before they suddenly dimmed with guilt making Hestia start to worry. A cold dread gripped her heart. It got even colder when Percy brought a hand up to hers and gently pulled it down as he looked into her eyes.

"Hestia … I love you too," he said but before she could smile he continued. "But … I love another as well."

At his words she felt as if her heart was breaking as tears started to well up in her eyes. A shaky breath wracked her body as she took an uneasy step back and spotted a figure just past Percy's frame. There she saw Rhea standing beside the oak with the same guilt in her eyes as she watched on sadly.

"I see …" she mumbled as she looked back at Percy with growing sadness. "… I was too late … wasn't I?"

"No! That's not it!" Percy said in sudden panic as he took a step towards her but she took a step back.

"Then what!?" she shouted as her sadness turned to anger. She'd been alone, hoping he'd come back, and when it finally happened all it was to keep one promise even though he'd obviously moved on, and with her mother of all people! "Am I just the seconds you wanted in case it didn't work out!? You're already obviously happy with her!"

"Hestia …" Percy said softly as he looked at her sadly, the glow of his icy blue eyes dimming.

"No!" she shouted as more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I won't let anyone lead me on or use me!"

"But I do love you!" he shouted in reply but she didn't want to hear him.

She was about to turn around and flash away but then a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her. She knew it was him and tried to thrash out of his grip but he was too strong so she resorted to something else. In a sudden spark her entire body was shrouded in raging flames, the ground beneath them hissing and steaming even as she continued her struggles. It seemed in vain though as she felt her own body mutiny against her, relaxing in his embrace even as she tried to keep her rage rather than feel heartbreak as her entire body was shrouded in orange flames and slowly turning into Greek fire.

"Just leave me alone!" she cried but he brought his lips to her ears and whispered, "I'm never leaving you alone again Hestia." He then turned her in his arms as her struggles got weaker as she looked at him, seeing that he was crying as well. "Never again," he said before he brought his lips to hers.

She wanted to fight it, to push him away and curse him but another part of her softened in his arms. His kiss carried passion and unmistakable love even as the embrace itself was tender. Her struggles soon became non-existent as his arms moved to pulling her in by her waist while her hands rested against his chest. The flames that had been once raging around her died out leaving both of them steaming. Slowly Percy pulled away before looking down at her while wiping away the last of her tears with his thumb.

"I love you both Hestia and I would never hide that from you or try to play with your heart. I just wanted you to know the truth," he said gently. "I've already come to terms with it along with Rhea. Now it's up to you but know this … I will love you and accept your decision regardless of what it is." He then kissed her one more time before he released her from his arms and stepped back to give her space as she looked at him.

She saw Rhea still observing them sadly but she didn't focus on that right now as she looked back at Percy. Right now she wasn't sure what to do and her emotions were too raw to make any decisions so she took a breath to steady herself before looking Percy dead in the eyes.

"I would like some time to myself," she said and he nodded immediately in understanding.

"Okay and if you need anything, just call and I'll be right there," he replied as he turned and walked towards Rhea.

The pair gave her one last look before they dissolved into shadows leaving her alone in the courtyard. She stood silent for a few minutes before she walked towards the oak. Once there she rested her back against it before sinking to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest. Her eyes were still blurry with a few tears as she thought about what just happened … and what she was going to do about it …

* * *

 **... Didn't think it would be that easy did you? I know, I'm a troll but I just had to do it! Look forward to the next chapter and I hope everyone enjoyed! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	16. Unbreakable Bonds

**And the story continues! Loving the feedback from all those that review, guest or not. I'm glad people liked that I didn't bull with the whole 'suddenly accepting multiple girls thing'. Originality is the goal here so be expecting surprises around every corner!**

 **Responses for specific guest reviews with names:**

 **naruto: thanks. you've consistently reviewed so recognition is in order.**

 **N-dog: Thanks for all the kind words and to state for everybody. Updates should be weekly, if something comes up, bi-weekly. Hope that helps.**

 **valkyrie: thank you, another for consistently reviewing.**

 **Watchman1: Thank you for the praise and I'm glad you liked the shade scene so much!**

 **Bigfoot: Thank you for consistently reviewing as well!**

 **Without further delay, onwards to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

Andromeda watched sadly as Hestia continued to softly cry while sitting against the white oak in the courtyard, her presence hidden in the shadows of one of the larger statues. Hestia had been like that for several hours after Percy's confession and Andy could feel her pain and confusion. Right now Hestia needed someone to confide in, someone to help her sort out her feelings, and hopefully, make a decision. So, taking a deep breath, she slowly walked towards the distraught goddess, keeping her face neutral knowing that looking at Hestia with pity wouldn't help at all.

After a few minutes she'd walked close enough to look directly down at the goddess but Hestia made no move to so much as look at her. So instead Andy got beside her and sat down as well while tugging her knees to her chest. As she did so, she felt herself shift and age until she looked to be around 35 rather than the usual 20's most gods prefer. She wasn't really surprised though, guessing Hestia needed more guidance as from a parent or elder than just a friend. So she sat silently and waited for the goddess to address her instead so that it wouldn't feel forced or intrusive.

After nearly 15 minutes she saw the goddess turn her head towards her out of the corner of her eye. Andromeda looked back at her, noting the puffy eyes and tear stains making her want to hug the sad goddess but she refrained as she waited for Hestia to speak. They looked at each other for some time before Hestia broke the silence and asked, "Can I help you with something?"

"No," Andy replied slowly before adding, "But I can help you."

"Why?" Hestia asked in a voice laced with distrust.

"Because I don't want to see you or my brother or Rhea so sad," she answered softly. "They care about you Hestia. More than you would have thought."

Hestia scoffed slightly while looking away. "Sure they did … didn't stop them from forgetting about me for years while they held each other," she added bitterly before sniffling slightly. "Here I was waiting and hoping … but when he finally came I'd missed my chance."

"That isn't true," Andromeda said firmly getting the goddess to look at her. "Ever since I got here, Percy used to tell all about you. The only Olympian goddess he respected and cared about. There wasn't a day he forgot about you but Nyx said it would have been too soon to take you away from Olympus so he had to wait. Rhea was the same, especially after Percy confessed his feelings to her including you."

"And how did she take it?" Hestia asked as she wiped away some tears.

"Honestly, pretty well but that was because I told her beforehand. My brother is the best but he's still clumsy with sensitive talks and I didn't want him to possibly mess up so I talked to Rhea while he was gone on a mission. Turned out it helped because when Percy told her himself, she'd already had time to think about it. When she learned you were the other woman Percy had fallen in love with, I'm not too sure what happened there but I know that they settled it out as well," Andromeda answered.

"So what then?" Hestia asked as she looked at her again. "Am I just supposed to go along with it? Will he even care about me the same as my mother? Or is he just being greedy?"

"That's your anger talking," Andy replied firmly as she looked at the goddess. "And you can trust me when I say his love for you is genuine. I've watched for decades as both Rhea and Percy missed you and wanted to bring you here sooner."

"Decades?" Hestia asked with a frown.

"Time in Tartarus passes five times faster than in the mortal world remember," Andy explained before continuing. "And in that time their love grew between them but also for you. I could see it … like a third of them was missing and whenever they asked Nyx if they could get you but she said no both would get sad for a whole day. They care about you Hestia and want you to be happy too."

"I … I just don't know," Hestia said unsurely as she looked down.

"Hestia," Andy said gently as she cupped the goddess' chin and turned her to face herself. "They do love you and didn't want to hurt you in any way." Andromeda then stood up before offering a hand to the goddess. "Come on, walk with me."

Hestia looked at her hand for a few hands before taking it slowly and getting pulled up. Once both were up Andromeda snapped her fingers to make a napkin pop into her hand before using it to wipe away the last of Hestia's tears and cleaning off her cheeks. After that was done the two started to walk through the courtyard and towards the House of Night as Andromeda spoke.

"Tell me Hestia, what's really holding you back?"

Hestia looked at her nervously as she rubbed her own arms while remaining silent. After a minute or so she finally spoke. "I'm scared okay …"

"Of what?" Andy persisted as Hestia looked down.

"Of being … forgotten," she replied softly. "I … I was too scared to tell Percy how I felt all those years ago and looked what happened. He fell in love with someone else … someone prettier, more experienced, stronger, and everything better than me …" By now Hestia's eyes were getting watery again and crying was bound to come up but Andromeda pulled her into a hug while rubbing her back.

"Hestia, you know Percy isn't like that," she said soothingly. "Yes, you've never loved like this before and it scares you that you might do something wrong, especially when there is someone else to be compared to but neither would want you to be anything other than yourself. Percy loves you for you Hestia, not because you're the prettiest or strongest or any sort of thing."

Andromeda could feel Hestia slowly nodding into her shoulder as she let out a few more tears as Andy tried to reassure her more.

"Tell me Hestia … do you still feel the same way about him?" she asked softly.

Hestia remained silent for some time until in a low voice she said, "Yes…"

"And even knowing that you'd have to share him, does it mean you love him any less?"

"No," Hestia replied while shaking her head softly.

"Then there you go," Andromeda said in a warm voice. "The three of you deserve love Hestia and I know you'll need each other. Percy especially will need you both. You're one of his reasons for fighting, for wanting to create a better and safer future, and for not losing hope drowning in his own vengeance. You were there for him when Kronos attacked, you became his friend during the year of peace you had before Hera's plan, and you were his shoulder to cry on when Annabeth broke his heart. You're precious to him Hestia and no matter what, he will always love you."

Andromeda then broke the hug and leaned back to look directly into Hestia's eyes.

"Rhea too. You're the one who remembered her and used to still pray to her to show her that she simply hadn't been locked away to be forgotten. You are her first born and she wants to see you happy. That's why she was more than willing to share Percy with you, because it is you. Anyone else would have been brained if they so much as looked at Percy with less than pure intentions … trust me, it nearly happened to Lamia one time," she added with a snicker.

Hestia giggled slightly as well and there Andromeda knew that her talk had been a success. She smiled at the goddess before pinching her cheek earning an annoyed pout but Andy just giggled at the face.

"Now go and get your man!" she cheered before leaning closer with a suggestive wink. "And if anything, show Rhea that just because she has experience doesn't mean she'll always be on top."

Hestia practically glowed with a golden blush as Andromeda started to laugh at the sight in good humor before shoving the goddess slightly.

"Go on now, they should be somewhere in the kitchen since Rhea cooks when she's nervous, or in Percy's room trying to relax while waiting," Andy instructed as she shifted back into her usual 21 year old form.

Hestia gave her a firm nod before walking back in the direction of the House of Night while Andy sighed. ' _First successful matchmaking!'_ she mentally cheered before wondering what else to do for the day. So far there wasn't much more than training every day until Tartarus and Nyx decided they were ready for the big moves and becoming full protogenoi. She then glanced at a white gold ring given to her by Hemera to transport to the Palace of the Sky whenever she wants.

"Oh well, let's go annoy Hemera," she said with a shrug before focusing on the ring and dissolving into particles of light …

* * *

Percy watched as Rhea drifted back and forth between the oven and the counter as she fussed over her cooking pastries, her fingers twitching nervously at times. It was slightly annoying watching her move back and forth like that but he could understand where she was coming from. He was just as nervous, if not more so than she was while waiting for Hestia.

Hestia.

Man, he'd made a blunder there and he'd thought he'd grown a little more tactful but again he ended up putting his foot in his mouth. He came off way too blunt and sudden and nearly made Hestia run off. Seeing her look so heartbroken and crying had felt like he stabbed himself through the heart with a Stygian iron blade. He never wanted to see her crying unless they were tears of joy. Then, the very thought of losing her man him jump into action, kissing her with everything he could to try and show her that he loved her just as much as Rhea.

Even if she'd tried to resist at first, with the fire burning around them (luckily he still had her blessings making him fireproof), he could literally feel her emotions in the fire. There was anger yes, but more than anything it was sadness and a feeling of loneliness within it that Percy tried his damnedest to try and soothe. Then with that kiss, their first and likely her first entirely, he'd felt her return his need for her equally. In that moment he had no doubt that both Rhea and Hestia were the women for him, that without them he was incomplete.

Now all he could do was pray to Lady Chaos and hope that Hestia accepted it. With those thoughts he remained silent as he continued to observe Rhea as she took out a batch of blue cookies before throwing in another tray full, her foot tapping nervously as she got ready to prepare yet another batch. Seeing that his girlfriend was spinning herself into a frenzy he got up from his stool and walked to her before wrapping his arms around her waist making her squeak in surprise.

"Love, calm down," he said softly as she turned in his arms to face him with worried eyes.

"But …"

"I know, you're nervous and so am I," he said as he rubbed her back. "But please, I need you to try and relax. We've done everything we can and now it is up to her."

"And if she decides she doesn't want to be with you because of me?" Rhea asked as her eyes started to get watery.

"You can't blame yourself for that Rhea," he said sternly as he cupped her chin to make sure she looked straight up at him. "I made my choice knowing the risks and I will never regret being with you. Yes, it would hurt if she said no but I would survive and so would you."

Rhea stared at him silently for a few minutes while sniffing occasionally before she hugged him closer and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He rested his chin on her head as he tried to comfort her more, knowing that even if he said it Rhea would still blame herself if Hestia rejected them. He sighed at the thought and felt a pang of pain in his chest but it wouldn't be the first time he felt such pains, as sad as that is.

"She loves you," Rhea suddenly said without moving her head making her warm breath wash over his throat. "And as any mother I want to see her happy … but was I being selfish this time around?"

Percy thought about it for a moment before softly replying, "Yes."

Rhea pulled her head back as she looked at him in slight surprise but he continued on, "And there is nothing wrong with that. After what you've been through and waited, I think you were entitled to happiness. And, even when you got it, you still considered how Hestia would feel about it and allowed me to try and also have a relationship with her. So please, don't blame yourself if this turns out different from what we wanted … okay?"

Rhea stared at him intently for a few minutes before she gave him a faint smile as she nodded.

"Okay … I love you."

"And I you," he said before leaning down slightly to give her a tender kiss.

At the embrace she brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck as he tugged her by her waist, finding comfort in the warmth of her body being pressed up against his. They stayed like that for several minutes before they caught someone clearing their throat making both snap their heads in the direction of the noise.

They were treated to the sight of a slightly blushing Hestia, the Olympian looking away slightly as her hands nervously played with the golden rope tied around her waist. Rhea and Percy looked at her awkwardly for a moment before they released each other and turned to face her, both suddenly getting tense as they waited for Hestia to give them her answer. They all remained silent for some time until Hestia fought her nerves down enough to look at them properly.

"So …" she started while looking them up and down. "I've decided."

Percy caught Rhea's breath hitch as he just went still, hoping to hear good news … or at least a gentle rejection. After a minute Hestia gave them a nervous but warm smile as she walked up to them. Once close enough she enveloped both in a hug which they soon returned while sharing a glance.

"Yes," Hestia said gently making both pull back so they could look at her face properly.

"So you …" he trailed off as a familiar warmth filled his chest to which she gave a bigger smile.

"Yes," she repeated making both of them beam at her and pull her into a tight three-way hug. It lasted for a bit before Hestia pulled back slightly to look Percy directly in the eyes. "As long as you treat us equally and fairly, I will agree to it…" She trailed off for a moment as she glanced at Rhea before continuing, "I can tell Rhea loves you just as much as I do and how could I even look at myself in a mirror if I tried to make you choose?" Hestia then shook her head with a wistful smile. "No … in the end there isn't a valid reason to not try … and I love you regardless of whether I'm the only one or not."

By now Rhea's eyes were a little watery as she pulled Hestia into a fierce hug, all the while mumbling 'thank you' again and again. Hestia gave her an understanding smile as she returned the embrace, both finding comfort and reassured in each other as Percy watched on contently. After well over a minute the duo separated slightly as Hestia looked to Percy again and asked in a shy voice, "So that means I'm your girlfriend too?"

Percy didn't need to answer that with words. Rather, he gave a mischievous grin and leaned forward to steal a quick kiss before Hestia could react. "How's that for an answer?" he asked with a wolfish smirk and slight growl getting a nice little golden color out of Hestia's cheeks.

"Down boy," Rhea said in a teasing voice as she eyed him in a not-so-innocent way. "Or are you in need of more training?" she added in a purring tone.

Hestia looked between them for a moment with a slight glint of confusion before suddenly blushing as she looked at Rhea in slight surprise. "Already?" she asked in a shy whisper making Rhea raise an eyebrow.

She got the meaning of the question at the same time as Percy, both giving sheepish smiles to which Hestia pouted before mumbling, "I was hoping to be his first." Too bad Percy and Rhea has excellent hearing.

"Hestia!" Rhea started in a scandalized voice before giving a sly grin while leaning closer. "How naughty. Barely in a relationship and already having such … provocative thoughts …" Rhea then leaned even closer to continue whispering something into Hestia's ear, all the while Percy was stuck in a daze.

Hestia's comment following so close after Rhea's had left him with a very vivid picture, completely centered on making two goddesses scream his name. He snapped himself out of it though when he caught a squeak come from Hestia, the goddess blushing so hard that Percy wondered if she might pass out while Rhea had a cat-caught-the-canary smile, reveling in the effects of her teasing. It seemed she was going to push for more but Hestia noticed her leaning closer.

Hestia responded by burying her face in Percy's chest as he chuckled while Rhea giggled at the rather adorable display. ' _Oh Chaos I love these girls,'_ he thought fondly as he hugged Hestia to him for a moment before using one hand to tip her head up. He smiled down at her before leaning closer and giving her a gentle kiss. She was hesitant at first but after a few seconds she warmed up to it and started to push her lips back as he kept her close to him. In that moment everything felt right to him. Her unmistakable warmth, her fiery scent, the sweet taste of her lips as her small body fit like a puzzle piece against his. He relished in it before he nibbled at her lower lip eliciting a tiny moan which drove him wild.

He was about to pass his tongue over her lips to ask for entry but to his dismay she pulled back a little, their lips still connected by a string of saliva. He loved the look of her eyes glazed with happiness, her face flushed golden as she breathed heavily. It took all his will power to not kiss her again just to steal her breath away but for now he control it as he glanced at Rhea. The former Titaness was smirking at the sight even with the faintest golden dusting on her cheeks letting Percy know that Rhea had appreciated the sight. He gave her a wolfish grin as he moved Hestia to his right side before opening his left are inviting Rhea closer.

She smile as she obliged and stepped up to him so that his left arm could wrap around her waist and keep her close. He looked down at her for a moment before kissing her just as softly as he had Hestia even though a part of him wanted to deepen the kiss. She gave him playful nibbles as his arm around her tightened and he occasionally nibbled back on her lips to get small whimpers from her. He kept doing so for a while before he felt Hestia stir again in his right arm making him finally break the passionate kiss with Rhea.

He straightened up more so that he could look at both goddesses, loving the blush on both as they looked at him with love and traces of lust in Rhea's case while Hestia seemed a little too innocent for that at the moment.

"So," he started as he looked between them. "I'm the luckiest man around with two incredible girlfriends?"

"And don't let it go to your head," Rhea said in a teasing tone while glancing at Hestia and winking, "It'll be our job to keep this one in line." Hestia giggled at that while both ignored his indignant 'hey!' Of course it only served to make both giggle at him but he could only smile at the sight.

"I love you both," he suddenly said as he tugged them closer before giving each a small kiss.

"And we love you," Hestia replied this time before snuggling against his chest.

"Mhm," Rhea hummed while doing the same.

They remained together like that for several minutes before Percy realized how late it was … and they currently had over three dozen cookies either made or on the way.

"So …" he started getting both girlfriends to look at him. "Anyone feeling like cookies before bed?" he asked with a grin.

The goddesses shared a glance before smiling and nodding as Rhea escaped his arms to check on the latest batch in the oven while Hestia went towards the already cooled tray from earlier. Percy just stood there and marveled at the sight of his gorgeous girlfriends for a few minutes before he gave a content sigh and joined them…

* * *

 **With Andromeda**

Andromeda felt her body become solid again as she blinked away the white haziness that she always got whenever she used the light travel. After a few seconds she was in the clear so she looked around the familiar sight of the Palace of the Sky.

The palace reminded her slightly of the Taj Mahal but with a more European style, with battlements and a central observation tower going through the center of the palace. She looked around to see she'd arrived at a form of teleportation pad for Ouranus' realm. He'd made it so that only he could freely teleport in and out of the palace from any location, all other visitors need to enter from the pad. Sure once in the realm they could move around freely via teleportation but they could only leave at the pad as well.

The pad was made of white marble, big enough for about eight adults to stand next to each other comfortably, and then further surrounded by pond of crystal clear water. Funny thing is that unless you notice the ripples, you wouldn't realize there was water and the pad would look like it was simply suspended over nothing with one walkway leading to the palace beyond. She remembered the first time she came here, nearly having a heart attack at the sight below her.

From what her brother told her, you could see most of New York City from Olympus when the clouds part but in the Palace of the Skies, it was completely different. They were so high up they could see the entire North American continent without issue and as it turned out, without having a blessing from Hemera, Aether, or Ouranus, or at least a minor permission, a mortal wouldn't be able to breath in this realm as opposed to the poison of Tartarus. There was oxygen and other small molecules but not nearly enough for even the highest flying birds, though thanks to being demi-primordial or near-primordial, Andromeda along with the others already mostly breathed the particle Ether, named after the said primordial and is the particle godly beings breath. Ether, being one of the mythic particles since human science still isn't even close enough to recognize the particles or several hundred others around the universe.

That aside the sight was breathtaking and when looking up Andromeda could even see the distant sun and moon. Not the chariots of the twins, seeing as their rides were more like godly tethers to the actual celestial bodies and were part of the influence to make the world and moon rotate. Long ago between Nyx and Hemera, they had handled the rotations of night and day just with their thoughts before the Titans came along with the beginning of the lunar cycle thanks to Selene. ' _I wonder if Percy and Jason will keep the lunar cycles after offing Artemis, then again Hecate could take over since she has the moon as part of her domains too,'_ Andy mused as she started to walk towards the palace.

As she walked she watched the surrounding gardens of the palace, formed on shifting grey and white tiled pathways. In fact it almost made the palace look like one enormous spider with the legs spread out to form different buildings and constructs. Above it small versions of the constellations could be seen making her smile slightly. It took her a few minutes to finally arrive in a grand courtyard before the palace but instead of going into the immense building she turned and headed towards another walkway holding the arena. She could already feel the power of several protogenoi.

The area had a large roadway formed out of the white marble and rows of solid light posts along the sides, leading to a towering area three times larger than the coliseum. As she walked Andromeda received polite waves and nods from sky spirits and the manifestations of the constellations which she replied to in kind. The spirits here were very friendly and respectful, though some of the more well-known spirits like the zodiac tended to be annoying at times. She was still polite to them though and soon enough she entered a large archway leading into the arena.

It took a few minutes but soon she was rows upon rows of lined seats with a prime view of the currently in use arena. She arrived just as a brutal shockwave of air blasted over her, making her hair whip around wildly as she squinted slightly. There in the arena were Jason, dressed in his usual light coat, white shite, and grey jeans with _Revelation_ held in a two-handed grip as a heavy sweat trailed down his brow. Next to him was Thalia, dressed in a white sports bra and matching white tights reaching her shins, a grey jacket, and her long black hair with grey streaks pulled into a ponytail. In her hands though were two knives made of crackling blue lightning while her feet had her manifestation of power from claiming her primordial seat.

While Percy and Jason had their coats, Andy had her glove, and Rhea had emerald gauntlets reaching up to her biceps, Thalia had boots reaching up to her knees formed of what would be best called hyper condensed wind and lightning stitching. The cover along her shins and top of her foot was made of oddly blue tinted wind while the sole of her foot and calf had lightning formed into a nearly second skin. With her boots she could literally slice through just about anything with a kick that wasn't a primordial symbol of power or manifestation of power. Andy would know, she watched Thalia decapitate a drakon with a kick, the winds shred through the tough scales like wet mud with unnerving ease. Thalia could run damn fast too.

Across from them were Aether and Ouranus, each dressed in sparring clothes modeled after tradition greek armor with solid light braces and shin guards. Andy also spotted a few destroyed shields, some looking like they were sliced through with seared edges. ' _That would have been Jason's sword, damn thing is basically a light saber,'_ Andy mused as she continued to watch.

Jason and Thalia shared a look before nodding, then both dashed off in near blurs of white and blue as they closed the distance. Thalia took the direct route against Aether, swiping both electric knives at the primordial but he managed to dodge only for Thalia to pivot on her right foot and bring a vicious back-kick with her left. Aether was too close to dodge so instead he brought up his solid light spear to block. The impact sounded like a cannon going off as a blast of lightning and light flared along with another pressure shockwave yet neither combatants gave ground. While they were locked Andy turned her attention to Jason as he literally became a ray of light running circles around Ouranus looking for any opening but the elder primordial was not one to let slip.

Finding none Jason suddenly rushed closer while jumping, taking a more solid form as he brought _Revelation_ down only for Ouranus to raise his own long sword made of lightning like Thalia's knives. The flash from the collision this time was near blinding forcing Andy to squint as massive fractures formed beneath Ouranus. Once she got a better sight she could see that Ouranus was in a deadlock with Jason, the meeting point of their blades sparking angrily as they tried to push each other. It lasted for a minute before both disengaged only to watch each other for a moment. Soon Thalia joined Jason's side as Aether landed beside Ouranus, his spear at the ready. Only a second passed before the combatants surged at each other again. Andromeda continued to observe for a few more minutes before she felt a familiar presence arrive beside her.

She turned to look at the spirit and as usual found her incredibly pretty with molten eyes, coppery skin and dark, glossy hair fitting of a Persian princess. She was dressed in a simple white gown reaching her knees with a cream rope tied at her waist and Greek sandals.

"Zoe," Andromeda greeted the former huntress.

"Andromeda," Zoe replied with a polite nod before her gaze went back to the fighters.

They both watched silently for a few minutes before Zoe spoke up again, "It's still hard to believe at times."

"Hmm?"

"This impending war," Zoe clarified even as neither stopped locking at the battle. "To think that the Olympians would finally go so far as to betray their greatest heroes and lead to their own demise."

"But is it truly that hard to believe?" Any asked as she finally looked back at the former titan. "After all, you were there and know how unfair or cruel the Olympians can be."

Zoe frowned but didn't object to it. Instead she sighed before looking at Andromeda. "I can understand, it just feels like so long ago. Dying really warped my sense of time and with some of what I've seen, it's made to question everything I believed." Zoe turned away to look at the fight again. "I remember when Lord Ouranus asked me to watch the Olympian council on the day they decided to take Percy's family. I truly cried for the first time since I came here and for months I awoke every day hoping it was a bad dream … but it never was. Even when I accepted seeing such a cruel side to my former mistress, I still tried to deny it inside."

"And what now? Are you still denying it and wish to try to convince us to change away from war?" Andy asked with a quirked eyebrow but Zoe shook her head.

"After what they did to you I could never stomach the thought of defending them. If anything, the only thing I would ask is to give Artemis a quick death."

"You know that isn't possible with Percy," Andy replied with a slight frown.

She still didn't like the thought of her brother performing torture but then again, with the mention of Aphrodite her thoughts turn to a similar direction at times since she wanted to make the foul goddess pay for all the pain she's caused.

"I know," Zoe said softly. "… Well then at least the few of the huntresses that didn't treat men as cruelly as the rest."

"I think Percy will spare the younger ones but in the recent years they haven't added any to the ranks so it might be safe to say that all current hunters are marked for death, even if they look like they're eight," Andy answered.

"Hmm," Zoe hummed in agreement before commenting, "This is very impressive though."

"What is?" Andy asked as she watched Jason managed to kick Aether back only to rush him again in a flurry of slashes and stabs.

"This level of combat," Zoe answered. "The Hesperides weren't always limited to the garden and I did see some of the battles between the first Olympians and the Titans. Sure, they were incredibly powerful but they only reached this range of strength and speed when they assumed their divine forms. To think that you lot could fight like this without being full protogenoi is … humbling to say the least. I have no doubts that on the battlefields it will be nothing short of massacres."

"Well when you think about it, the Olympians were scared of Gaea, the weakest fighter among the protogenoi, when it was just her and she wasn't fully restored to power even though she'd finally awakened completely. Just imagine what they'll do when they realize they are fighting several, fully awake and trained protogenoi."

"I dare say they might actually surrender to save their own hides," Zoe chuckled before gaining a dark smirk. "Too bad even then they wouldn't be spared."

"Very true," Andromeda replied sighing as she turned away.

"Are you going to find Lady Hemera?" Zoe asked to which Andy nodded.

"Yeah, I feel like talking to her for a while before going to sleep would be nice."

"Mind if I join you?" Zoe asked.

"Sure," Andy chirped before the pair left the arena, the combatants still going strong into the night …

* * *

 **With Percy, Morning After**

Percy gave a slight groan as he started to stir from his sleep. He cursed Nyx mentally for drilling it into his head to always wake up early regardless of how late he might have gone to sleep the night before. That and having a serious sugar rush didn't help him get any extra rest. Curse Rhea and her amazing cookies! Still, he was already awake so no point in complaining now so he opened his eyes while trying to sit up only to find that he couldn't. He glanced down to see two brunette heads making him smile, especially being able to feel the warm and soft flesh resting on him.

Rhea was to his right, having used his chest as her pillow while tangling her legs with his, her near see through night gown teasing his sight of her breasts pressed up against him. Then to his left was Hestia, having taking some convincing to join them in their bed rather than take a guest room since she was a little shy around them but they wore her down. She'd been close but not touching when they went to sleep but in the night she'd snuggled closer to the point of using his shoulder as her pillow while pulling his arm between her sizable breasts. She was also more curled up while wearing a more modest yet still attractive, cream colored nightgown that just barely reached past her hips.

' _How did I get so lucky?'_ he asked himself before slowly sitting up much to the protesting whines of his girlfriends. He chuckled at the adorable pouts he was getting as Rhea stirred first while Hestia tried to pull the sheets over her head. However before anything could be said Percy felt someone approaching through flash so he looked away from the sudden blinding light. Once it died down it revealed Nyx looking both excited and a little sad at the same time.

"Nyx?" Rhea muttered as she sat up fully while rubbing her eye. "What is it?"

Percy also looked at Nyx questioningly as Hestia finally got up too and squeaked in surprise at realizing it was Nyx after throwing off the last dregs of drowsiness. Once all three were looking properly at her she spoke in a serious voice, "It's time."

At that Percy sat up straighter as he knew what those two words meant.

"Time?" Hestia asked nervously as she noticed how Percy and Rhea reacted to Nyx's words.

"Yes, Tartarus has already made the preparations needed," Nyx continued as she glanced at Hestia. "The last test before Percy, Andromeda, Phoebe, Rhea, Jason, and Thalia claim their place as full protogenoi … and the current primordial gods move on to the Realm of the Faded," she answered making Hestia gasp.

"So …" Percy started as he looked at Nyx in the eyes. "What's the test?"

"Combat," she said before her next sentence shocked all three. "You will do something that all twelve Olympians or the group of Kronos' most loyal couldn't do … you will face and kill Typhon."

* * *

 **Bam! Now we're talking! Next one is a biggie and just for the fun of it, I'm splitting the next chapter in two but don't worry. It will be a double update; one in the morning and one at night.**

 **Until then, a pleasure, Jbubu**


	17. Typhoon Falls!

**Author's Note: To battle! Let's see how the crew goes up against the biggest baddy of Greek myths! Also, I try to answer all reviews from the previous chapter before I go and update the second part of this later tonight. Hope everyone enjoys and finds the fight satisfying!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

"Hard to believe it's finally time."

Percy glanced to Jason beside him as the pair walked across the fields of Tartarus, headed to the Arena of the Pit and towards their hardest challenge yet. It had been several hours since Nyx came to him with the news of their impending fight and he was honestly feeling nervous. Typhon, Titan of Storms and Monsters and the last but strongest child of Gaea solely. Also mentally incomplete and therefore a completely loyal pawn given to Kronos even though Typhon easily outclassed any other immortal save for the protogenoi. It was only thanks to the council of protogenoi having been dissolved long before and Typhon never being given a primordial domain that kept him limited to the class of a Titan but his sheer size gave it away, being on par with the true size of a primordial.

Now they were about to face him and they weren't full protogenoi either. Percy knew this would be the make or break and that none of the primordial gods would step in to save them this time. He couldn't help but open and close his hands in anticipation for this fight but also concern for his family getting ready to fight. Jason looked nervous as well but he didn't have any obvious nervous tick like Percy showing. The too near-primordial beings looked at each other in a monetary pause, the screams of the truly damned and tortured echoing around them.

"Are you ready?" Percy asked in a calmer voice than he was feeling.

Jason gave him a stern look before flashing a faint smile while offering his hand. Percy smiled as they locked hands tightly while nodding.

"Brothers till the end," Jason said before both let go and faced the arena again.

Percy took a breath before saying, "Let's go … no time to waste."

With that the pair started moving faster, arriving to the arena in a few minutes and they soon stood within the actual battle floor. Percy glanced around to see his family already waiting and each being dressed for full combat as they looked at them. While Nico couldn't yet fight at this level since he still hadn't claimed the right to be an heir, he'd been adamant in helping with the battle even though Percy tried to convince him otherwise. Phoebe and Styx weren't fighting though, considering they weren't going to be on the front lines in this war even if they could fight if necessary. The others stood at the ready with the armor and weapons displayed.

Rhea was dressed in a dark green, nearly black chiton that cut off at mid-thigh with slits for movement, a bright green sash around her slim waist, and dark green tights underneath. Next was a black leather jacket reaching down to her thighs as well that Percy made for her out of darkness fibers with a tensile strength of steel for easy movement yet added protection. On her arms over the coat sleeves were her manifestations of power, her emerald gauntlets made of perfectly cut emerald tinted with gold within the precious rock. Her legs were covered by knee high boots made from the same solid darkness as her coat only with added emerald shin guards and a slight heel. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with a green ribbon and her hazel-gold eyes were focused intensely as she held her bow staff, _Testament_ , at her side. To Percy she looked more like a beautiful goddess of war ready to lay waste to those who dare oppose her.

Next to Rhea was Andromeda dressed her usual red long sleeve shirt, corset, plaid skirt, thigh-high leather boots with Tartarean steel heels and toes, Tartarean steel bracers with her manifested glove on her left hand and her knives currently in bow form, _Absolution,_ in her hands, and lastly her coat similar to Rhea. Percy could see the apprehension in Andy's purple and blue eyes as she glanced at him but he sent her a reassuring smile.

Beside Andromeda was Thalia, dressed in grey and white chiton given to her by Hemera with solid light bracers and small breast plate, her legs covered in her condensed wind boots while small tendrils of electricity crackled off them. In her hands was her own personally forged bow, _Genesis,_ made of mixed Tartarean steel with solid light and a solid lightning string. Her longer hair was braided and reaching to her lower back as her intense, deep blue eyes with tendrils of grey-blue electricity coursing through them focused like the huntress she still is.

Nico stood next to Thalia, dressed in a special black bicker jacket decorated with red streaks soaked in the Styx river and padded with Tartarean steel along with his usual skull shirt and leather pants, lastly with Tartarean Steel bracers and shin guards while ending in his own leather boots. His own claymore modeled after Tartarus' but cooled in the river Styx while being smelted in Hellfire was leaner, with a smoother tapper. The blades name was _Damnation_ and true to its word, being cut by that sword was as painful as burning in Hellfire. Percy would know, Tartarus tested it on him to see his pain tolerance before removing the fires and healing the scars himself.

Lastly were Percy and Jason themselves looking near identical with their coat of darkness/light, matching shirts, black leather or grey pants, and their preferred boots with Percy being darkness leather while Jason still liked the cowboy ones only re-enforced with drakon hide leather. Neither liked wearing armor much though aside from their manifestations of power which were close to near perfect armors themselves. The only drawback is that the manifestations of power are just that, condensed power. Percy's coat, just like everyone else's manifestations, were only indestructible as long as power was supplied, otherwise under constant pressure they would break at some point and leave them exposed though they also self repaired as the primordial in question recovered as well.

Still, with his coat and his blades, _Purgatory_ and _Sin,_ his katana and Viking Ulfberht respectively, strapped to his hips on opposing sides while Jason had his long sword, _Revelation_ , strapped to his back. They were as ready as they could get to face the monster that had never truly been brought down. Twice Typhon had been bested but only to the point of being unable to fight back, having a mountain hurled on him through the combined efforts of the elder Olympians and later dragged to the Underworld thanks to Poseidon and Hades along with the Cyclops army weighing the titan down. This time though, it would be Typhon's death, no half measures or imprisonment. With one last glance at his assembled team Percy looked to Tartarus and gave him a curt nod. The primordial nodded back before raising his arm and with it, the entire arena started to shake.

Their gathered allies hunkered down as the group stared at the far end of the arena. Tartarus had expanded it to fit half of New York City and they could clearly see a massive fissure opening up on the other end. They watched as red hues of flames spewed out along with the clinking of massive celestial bronze chains filled their ears while the ground around them continued to shake. They could feel the power surging out of the growing chasm as the sole occupant stirred from his forced slumber. Then, suddenly the sound of chains moving stopped and as did all the noise, even the pained screams of the damned in the distance. ' _That can't be good,'_ Percy thought before all Void broke loose.

 **"** **RAAAAAAWWWWRRRRR!"**

A massive bellow blasted across the arena with gale force winds buffeting at them as the ground shook even more but the team stood firm. Then, one massive clawed hand came out of the chasm, being big enough to crush a god even in their divine form, reach out and crashed onto the arena floor with a deafening boom. Soon another hand follow as Typhon hauled himself out of the hole Tartarus had kept him in since the monster was brought down over a decade ago by surface world time. Then, the monstrous head of the titan, still surrounded in storm clouds even though they could see his face through it as it morphed between innumerable beastly forms, each more horrid than the last with glowing red eye lacking irises or pupils.

His foul scent assaulted their noses as he pulled himself further from the chasm, the celestial bronze chains that once held him falling off in clumps with heavy crashes. Soon a shadow over took them as Typhon's charred and scared body towered over them, his dark brown and green splotched skin looking like boiling tar as the titan measuring nearly 120 meters(400 ft) stood up fully. Percy wouldn't hide it, he felt intimidated at the sheer presence of the monster and what it could do. He thanked Chaos that Typhon never finished fully forming proper mental functions otherwise the Titans and Olympians alike would have been utterly decimated and he would reign above all while his mother slept to her content.

Typhon gave another challenging bellow as Percy and his friends readied their weapons as they prepared to fight the closest thing they could get to a primordial. Percy took one glance around before nodding, having already planned the strategies with his team to take the massive titan down. Percy took a breath as his stance relaxed for but a moment. This was it, the true hurtle before the war. Everything has been leading up to this and he wasn't about to fail now.

"Go!" he shouted as they all surged forward in bursts of speed, weapons poised and ready for the kill.

Percy raced beside Jason as the pair locked onto their target, Typhon's chest. The pair ran as blurs before both hunched down and jumped, the ground beneath them cratering as they blasted up like cannonballs towards Typhon. As they ascended Percy brought _Sin_ forward, the Viking blade's tip sinking into the titan's flesh and mincing through the thick muscle underneath as Percy's rise slowed. Typhon roared in anger more than anything as it brought a hand up to swat him like a fly but then Jason, having reached the highest point of his jump leveling him with Typhon's sternum brought out _Revelation_ and drove the blade into Typhon's chest, sinking it half way to the hilt and keeping him hitched to the Titan.

Now Typhon's roar had pain to it but it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. Their symbols of power may be sharp enough to cut the titan's flesh with ease but with their size they couldn't reach into the denser muscles where real damage could be struck. Percy, noting that he'd slowed down too much to get higher stabbed both _Purgatory_ and _Sin_ into Typhon's ribs to hook himself to the Titan. With his foothold secured he watched as Typhon tried to bring his massive clawed down on Jason but as the hand came closer suddenly a bolt of lightning hit it with enough force to make Typhon abruptly twist to the side.

Percy glanced down to see that Rhea had leveled the arena floor to create several spires and columns of rock for different vantage points, some going as high as Typhon's thighs. Thalia stood on one with her bow, _Genesis_ , trained on Typhon, another arrow of pure lightning already formed and notched. Soon another arrow made of purple energy struck Typhon in the neck followed by a burst of ichor as the arrow pieced his protective hide but not deep enough to inflict lasting damage. It had been Andromeda with her knives in bow form, _Absolution_ , her arrows having larger piercing power while Thalia being more of a large bomb on impact. Together the pair fired off arrow after arrow, being careful to not hit Percy or Jason as the pair scaled Typhon's body, Jason being closer to the goal than Percy at the moment.

Seeing as he was farther than he wanted he glanced around while watching as Typhon brought his hand down and nearly hit Jason but the bugger managed to toss himself to the side and drop a good two stories before stabbing his sword in again to stop from falling to the floor. Percy noticed that Typhon's hand was pretty close so thinking quickly he tugged _Purgatory_ out of the titan's flesh and sheathed it before focusing on his hand.

Frost and darkness radiated off his right hand before his Void crystal started to form in the design of a hook and soon it lengthened to form a chain. He then spun it to gain some momentum before he whipped it around, sending the hook at Typhon's retreating hand but the hook managed to grasp the flesh in a firm holding. With that Percy pulled _Sin_ out and kicked off Typhon's ribs, using his impulse to swing under the hand and then kick with his legs to complete a full rotation. He then willed the chain to disperse and fell onto Typhon's moving hand. It seemed that he caught the titan's attention with that as the monster turned its gaze on him.

That proved to be a mistake as a pillar of rock measuring nearly three stories was literally thrown at the titan, hitting him square on the chest and making him stumble back as Percy hunkered down to get a good grip. He glanced down to the arena floor to see the one tossing the stones was Rhea, using the pillars around her as ammunition. Once Typhon stabilized Percy started running up the titan's arm with both blades out. He coated them in his Voidfire as he sliced the hide under him while running, the black flames hungrily eating at hide and flesh exposed along the cuts as ichor flowed by the gallons and Typhon roared in rage and pain. Percy smirked, knowing that his flames were just as painful as the Hellfire of Tartarus and Typhon was now feeling pain like he never had before. The heat of being under Mount Etna and later St. Helens was nothing compared to this and the best part was that the titan's rapid healing wouldn't work on wounds from either of the divine fires.

Percy soon arrived near Typhon's head as Thalia and Andromeda peppered his chest with their arrows while Rhea focused more of her pillars onto Typhon's gut to keep his focus on them. Percy raced forward, his swords poised at his sides to slice at Typhon's head. He jumped, swords high, but the buffeting winds surrounding the monster's head took most of his momentum and forced him to squint. He made a wild swing just before the winds could push him away, his swords seeming to cut at Typhon's cheek close to his eye making him screech in pain. Percy winced at the sound but in doing so he failed to notice Typhon's hand grasp at him.

He didn't have time to react to the titan's suddenly fast grab and grunted as the monstrous strength tried to crush him. He could feel his ribs straining even as he flexed his arms to try and keep some space for himself to save his chest from being crushed in the hand of Typhon. He was strong but this thing was only strength and no one besides another full primordial could outmuscle the titan. However, his team came to his rescue as Typhon abruptly released his grip making Percy fall. As he fell he glanced up to see the wrist of Typhon's right hand had been sliced open with a torrent of ichor flowing out. He then glanced to his side to see Jason falling not far from him, his sword stained golden as the former roman shot him a grin.

Percy returned a thankful nod as he corrected himself in the air but they really didn't have anything to stop their fall unless Thalia willed the winds to catch them. Unlikely considering she and Andromeda were currently shooting at Typhon while hopping around to avoid being crushed underfoot. ' _This is gonna sting'_ Percy thought as the arena floor rapidly approached them. He came down at terminal velocity, landing on a pillar only for the damn thing to give way under him, splitting down the center until he landed at the actual arena floor with a resounding crash, Jason not too far behind him. Percy groaned as his legs and back stung from the landing but he shook it off and the dust on him while looking around. Jason was up as well with _Revelation_ in arm as he scoped out a vulnerable spot to attack. Percy glanced up to smirk in satisfaction as Typhon's right arm and a piece of his face was burning with Voidfire, taking half of the titan's eyesight and slowing down the use of his right arm tremendously along with the useless hand that Jason nearly lopped off.

"No luck getting to his head huh," Jason stated as he moved closer to him.

"Not really, the wind is too much," Percy replied before narrowing his eyes at Typhon's chest. "I don't think we can get too close to his neck to slit his throat either but …" he trailed off as he thought of an idea.

"What's on your mind Percy?" Jason asked knowing Percy's face when he thinks up something possibly reckless but usually useful.

"Well, we can't get to his head or neck and Andromeda's arrows don't have enough power to fully pierce his chest and get to his heart. Our swords could but with his height we just can't keep enough momentum to swing at full strength and carve his chest open but if we did enough damage to open it up Thalia could possibly create a bolt strong enough to get to his heart."

"She'd need to hold off and focus for that but then what's keeping Typhon's attention off her?" Jason asked as both suddenly jumped to the side and onto another pillar as Typhon's foot nearly squashed them. "He would noticed the buildup of power and attack her."

"Then we need to keep his attention," Percy said with a smirk. "Go let Thals and Andy know. Tell Andy to focus on Typhon's face while I let Rhea and Nico know."

"Where is he by the way?" Jason asked but both stopped and looked to see Typhon stumble slightly and for the first time noticed that his right calf was on Hellfire with multiple lacerations going up to mid-calf with a black and red blur running around the titan's foot.

"Found him," Percy said with a point before grinning. "Let's join the party!"

Both nodded before surging forward again, Percy making a straight jump to Rhea as she hefted a locomotive size boulder and tossed it like a soft ball, the stone missile slamming into Typhon's head regardless of the wind making him roar as more ichor spilled from a cut over his only usable eye since the other is long gone thanks to Percy's Voidfire.

"Nice toss love," Percy greeted as he landed beside the former Titaness.

Rhea huffed a bit while rolling her shoulder while glancing at him. "Bastard just doesn't want to go down though."

"And that's why I was coming to tell you the plan," Percy said. "If you and Nico can bring Typhon to a halt long enough, I can make some damage on his chest and give an opening for Thalia to throw in the bigger fireworks."

Rhea looked at him questioningly for a moment before she glanced at the titan and narrowed her eyes.

"I think I might have just the thing," she said with a small smirk. "Just wait for the opening but it could be nice if you distract him for me."

"Will do," Percy agreed before rushing off to join Nico.

He arrived quickly while glancing up to see purple arrows constantly striking Typhon around the collarbone, neck, and face making him roar in frustration while trying to cover his face with his good hand, his right side being more of a hindrance as the Voidfire ate into more of his flesh, freezing it before it broke off in clumps of molten flesh and globs of sloshy ichor. It was still only skin level damage at best and was only starting to get to Typhon's muscle. He disregarded it for now and arrived at Nico's side, the blessed of Tartarus leaping across Typhon's calf as _Damnation_ sliced across the flesh while igniting it in purple Hellfire adding further damage to the titan's leg.

"Yo Nico!" he shouted as he stood a few meters away while keeping an eye on the titan's arm swinging over them as the monster tried to cover his face from Andy's onslaught.

"What!?" Nico shouted as he swiped some sweat off his face. "I'm busy at the moment!"

"I can see that!" Percy replied as he jumped high and drove both his swords into Typhon's knee earning a very loud roar of pain as his Voidfire spread from the blades.

Percy disengaged quickly and landed close to Nico but both them leaped again and moved away as Typhon's hand nearly smashed them while the titan looked for what cause him so much pain on just one leg.

"Hey, if my flames eat away enough, you think you can cut through his knee?" Percy asked as Nico huffed beside him.

"Sure, I just need a higher vantage point since I can't jump as high as all of you guys since my physical ability is still just underneath godly level," he replied.

"Alright then, just wait for Rhea's part and you should have an opportunity," he answered getting a nod from Percy before the heir of Nyx jumped away to the front of Typhon. He could see Jason was on the titan's shoulder again but was trying to avoid being caught like Percy had before.

He pulled to a stop and glared up at the monster before flaring the flames on his blades. He then slashed at the air in front of him, blades of Voidfire shooting off his swords at the monstrous titan and impacting him on the chest making him stumble slightly as the fires spread on his skin slowly. Percy clicked his teeth, having hoped that the blades of fire would manage to cut the skin as well to really get into his flesh but apparently not. He was about to send another volley but then felt a spike in power and looked to see Rhea jumping onto a pillar of rock with her bow staff glowing green as it thrummed with power.

It drew Typhon's attention when Percy saw Nico lunge from a rock outcropping near Typhon's burning foot, his blade roaring with Hellfire. With a mighty heave Nico cleaved across the back of Typhon's burning knee, the cut combining with the damage from Percy earlier attack nearly causing the entire bottom half of the leg to rip off. Typhon roared in agony and surprise, lifting the injured leg in reflex but it was that moment that Rhea attacked. Blasting off the ground she roared as she swung _Testament_ with all her immense strength, an explosion of pure power following as the end made contact with Typhon's left knee.

A sickening crack followed as Typhon's kneecap was blown off in a shower of ichor and bone making Percy smirk as he focused more of his power into his swords while watching the titan fall. With all the pressure on one completely shattered knee, Typhon roared as it buckled and he fell to his knees kicking up a massive dust cloud but Percy remained still. He watched as the dust and ash dissipated as Typhon sat up while in obvious pain and looked directly at Percy with his one good eye. Percy smirked before muttering, "Let's see you take this."

The flames coating his swords condensed before he brought both up and then with a roar, swung them down together with as much power as he could. His swing released a massive blade of black fire joined from the two swords, slicing through the rock and air around it as it sped towards the titan faster than a missile. Typhon could only watch as the massive blade of Voidfire spanning nearly 20 meters impacted his chest hard enough to push his immense body back with an explosion of pressure and flames as the blast minced through his thick hide. Typhon bellowed in sheer agony as the flames ate deep into the muscle and bone of his chest as a waterfall of ichor formed from an attack making Zeus' master bolt look like a firecracker.

Then, just as he was trying to cover the largest wound he'd ever received, Percy spotted Jason jump straight up from Typhon's shoulder with his blade raised high as it crackled with white lightning. Percy watched as Jason fell back down and swung his blade, slicing past the thick hide and muscle along the titan's shoulder nearly severing the arm completely but still doing enough damaged to make it useless. Then a larger than average purple arrow, nearly double the size of a ballista bolt, struck Typhon's other shoulder where Percy's fires had eaten away at the flesh, piercing clean through muscle and bone alike while cutting off the vital tendons of the arm.

"Nice shot Andy," Percy muttered as he took in the sight of the downed titan. Armless, crippled legs, and a wound basically leaving his inner chest cavity exposed to all.

Percy then looked behind him to the highest of the pillars left by Rhea, Thalia standing there with a massive bolt of crackling lightning and churning winds forming a drill point aimed straight at Typhon. It seemed that Thalia felt his gaze as she glanced at him. He nodded sternly at her and she nodded back before locking her gaze on the nearly dead titan. With one final breath she pulled back her bolt the last stretch of her bow and released. The bolt sounded light a hundred thunder cracks within a hurricane as the bolt flew towards Typhon. The monster could only look on, not even uttering a sound as the bolt struck him dead in the chest right over the heart.

What followed was an explosion that felt akin to an atom bomb as Percy was forced to turn his gaze away to cover his face from the vicious winds and shockwaves, the air thrumming with electric charge making him feel almost numb along with a blinding flash. The roar of the explosion lasted for nearly ten seconds before everything finally died down as Percy looked again to a sight no Olympian or Titan had ever thought possible.

Typhon wasn't a single body anymore. His head and hips were what remained as his entire chest had been all but vaporized with the combined might of Percy's flames and Thalia's bolt, his right leg mostly ash thanks to the still burning Hellfire. Percy remained silent as he memorized the sight, their first true battle of this impending war and a victory thought impossible by most. The others soon gathered round, all looking on soberly as the gravity of what they've just accomplished settled on them. As they watched Typhon's body slowly starting to decade to golden dust Thalia thrust her hand out. In response a blueish aura drifted off the growing piles of golden sand and drifting into Thalia's hand. As she absorbed it the sands started to turn white, marking the fading of an immortal.

The Law of Succession needed only be used to strip immortality and domains not related to those held by the victor if they had them by chance. Thalia was already the heir of Sky and Storms, Typhon's only domain that he was given when Gaea stole part of it from Ouranus when Kronos cut him up, it was his only tie to retaining his form. Thalia forcefully reclaiming his domain of Storm and having so much of his essence destroyed by Percy's Voidfire and Nico's Hellfire, there was nothing left for the monster of a titan but to fade.

With the last of the blue aura collected Thalia's power grew while all of the golden dust left from Typhon turned ashen white. It was done now. The greatest monster of Greek mythology was permanently erased and sent to the Realm of the Faded to be judged by Lady Chaos herself. With a tensed exhale the group let their postures relax before some broke into massive grins, namely Percy himself, Jason, and Nico.

"We fucking did it!" Jason shouted while raising his hands in triumph while Nico just whooped in agreement.

"Hell yeah!" Percy agreed while pumping his fist making Rhea giggle beside him and drawing his attention. "And where would we be without you knocking him down a peg or three?" Percy added before sweeping Rhea in his arms and claiming her lips much to her surprise.

In didn't last long before she eagerly returned the kiss, escalating it into a full blown make-out as her hands dug into his hair as he pulled her closer. He was so enraptured with her taste and soft whimpers as he bit at her lips that he nearly missed the throat being cleared … loudly. They both snapped out of the steamy embrace with flushed faces and heavy breaths to see their audience including those that had watched the fight from a safe distance. Rhea blushed a little more while Percy sheepishly chuckled much to the amusement of some though Hades looked a bit uncomfortable having seen his mother make-out with his one-upon-a-time nephew. Hestia was also blushing like crazy but there was a curious glint to her eyes making Percy wink at her only for her to blush more and look away shyly.

"Well …" Nyx started while looking around as everyone settled down. "… That was exceptional."

"Exceptional!?" Persephone asked incredulously as she clung to Hades' arm. "That was utter madness is what it was!"

"I think they did well enough," Tartarus added his two cents.

"Badass!" Medusa exclaimed with glee next to a nodding Lamia.

"Damn, my little bro and sis one upped me there. Now I need to do something big or I'll get left behind," Hercules chuckled as he clapped Thalia on the shoulder.

"That was very exciting," Hemera added though she grimaced slightly. "A bit more gore then I needed but at least the brute is gone for good."

"Very true," Aether agreed but with a more sober tone. "… And soon … so shall we …"

Everyone grew silent at that. Percy locked eyes with Nyx and saw that sadness again, knowing that she would miss them just as much as they would them. In the time together everyone, not only the protogenoi and their heirs, had grown closer as a family. Their pasts put to rest in the effort to live and strive for the future … but sadly they could not all be together to see it through. With that though Percy let go of Rhea before slowly walking to Nyx, all eyes on him as he kept a calm face.

He stopped before her and looked down at her due to the difference in height. Wordlessly he brought her into a hug, her face partially buried into his chest as he rested his cheek against her raven locks. She soon returned the embrace and squeezed onto him as her frame shook slightly while she sniffed. He tightened his hold as she softly started to sob and he felt his own eyes sting and his throat beginning to hurt as he spoke softly.

"I guess it's finally time huh … mom."

Nyx only nodded as she sobbed harder before speaking in a muffled voice.

"It really is … son …"

* * *

 **Well? I hope everyone was satisfied with the fight. I'll see you all later tonight with the second part full of feels! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	18. Protogenoi Rise!

**As Promised, the second update! Last minute revisions done for all to enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

They gathered together back at the courtyard Percy and Nyx formed together, a sober atmosphere as everyone kept level faces. Beneath the great white oak were eight thrones, each made of pitch black obsidian surrounded in ethereal auras. It would be there temporary thrones, being symbolic more than anything until they erected their true throne room on the surface. Percy stood in the middle of a line with his team and friends at his sides. Rhea, Andromeda, Jason, Thalia, Phoebe, Styx, and Nico, each looking on at the thrones or the protogenoi that had trained them. To the side were their allies like Hercules, Medusa, Lamia, Leto, Mnemosyne, Damasen, Hades, Persephone, Hecate, Hestia, many of Nyx and Erebus children such as Moros, Hypnos, and even Thantos. Not all their allies could attend but it was a good showing regardless.

Taking a breath Nyx started off as she looked around, "It's been quite some time in the making and now the time for a new era is dawning and with it, us primordial gods must move on." She then looked intently at Percy with clear love in her eyes as she spoke in a tender tone. "Percy, I just want you to know that I cherished the years I had you with me. Getting to see you grow beyond all expectations and having a semi-mortal and somewhat normal son has made me the happiest I've ever been in millennia ever since Erebus passed on." Her breath hitched for a moment as she rubbed away a stray tear. "I've never been prouder to name you my heir and having the honor of calling you my son."

He smiled back at her as he stepped up to her and gave her one last hug which she eagerly returned. They held it for a minute. Once he let go Nyx stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the forehead before stepping back slightly and nodding to him. He took a shaky breath before he nodded as well, flaring his power before speaking in a commanding voice.

" **My name is Perseus Theseus Jackson, heir of Nyx, Primordial of Night, and Erebus, Primordial of Darkness and Shadows. Does anyone dispute my right?** " There was absolute silence so he continued. " **Henceforward I claim my place as Primordial of Night, Darkness, and Shadows!** "

Once he finished there was another flare of power before Nyx shuddered slightly as a glowing orb of power as black as a starless night phased out of her along with a second formed of churning darkness. The 'cores' or full essence of Nyx and Erebus, their links to their domains and true power, came to Percy and phased into his body. He suddenly grunted as a searing pain flooded his system, the air around him literally steaming as the darkness of the Pit writhed and coiled at the presence of their new master. Soon it all condensed before he gave a shout as he felt the power within him explode in a black light, making those around him have to squint and guard their faces while stepping back.

When the thrum of power died down Percy panted as he got up from his knees, feeling the power of Nyx and Erebus fully merge and synchronize with him. He looked at his own hand in wonder, awed at how his power grew nearly tenfold. He was no mere mortal or lowly god now. He is a primordial, a god linked to a facet of creation, a being capable of creating, reshaping, and destroying worlds and his power would only grow once his full domains got instated by Phoebe. ' _The Olympians truly were lucky. They have no idea how powerful Gaea would have been if she had been able to access her full power right off the bat. But now, a power greater than hers is mine,'_ he thought as he clenched his fist. He then caught some gasps and looked behind him to see his friends all staring at him with open jaws.

"What?" he asked but all they did was point at his back.

He glanced back and nearly shouted in surprise at the sight. Being a complete primordial had given him the last feature to mark him, a set of feathered, pitch black wings. Each feather looked as soft as velvet and seemed to absorb even the tiniest hints of light as they ruffled slightly in a breeze as a cool mist drifted off them. He experimentally twitched them and they responded naturally before he expanded them completely. Each wing was nearly three meters in length and looked similar to those of ravens.

"Beautiful," he heard Hestia murmur from her place off to the side and he could tell she wasn't the only one admiring his new additions.

He would have experimented furthered but a tired sigh caught his attention making him look to see Nyx but now she looked different. Her hair had lost its luster and her skin looked far too pale as her eyes seemed to dim. She started to fall but he rushed to her in a moment and caught her in his arms with a bridal carry as she looked at him.

"You make a very handsome primordial, did you know that?" she asked softly as she weakly reached with one hand and trailed it through one of his wings over his shoulder. "My-my, Rhea and Hestia will love these, I'm almost jealous," she said with a small giggle before focusing back on his face. "Good luck Percy. I know you'll succeed in the end so carry on. Remember, I'll always be watching on from the Realm of the Faded."

"Yeah … I know you will," he replied softly as a lone tear trailed down his cheek which Nyx rubbed away with her thumb.

She smiled weakly at him before he planted a soft kiss on her forehead making her smile more. But then slowly her eyes closed as her body started to glow. A breeze seemed to pick up and trail over her as her body started to turn to a familiar dust but instead of looking like ash it turned into a bright, almost glowing white powder that was carried away into the wind. He watched as his second mother's body turned to dust in his arms, moving on as he remained silent. Then, he quietly walked towards one of the middle thrones and took his seat, his power rolling off him in waves as he looked back at everyone else.

Looks of awe and admiration were directed at him making him smile warmly. Sure, he just lost his second mother but he knew she was in a better place and finally reunited with her husband. Being sad wouldn't help him so instead he embraced her passing and promised himself to make her proud. He then looked on to the other protogenoi and nodded, asking for them to continue.

Rhea responded as she stepped forward. Unlike most she only needed to state her claim, no emotional toil whatsoever considering her mother was killed by Percy some time ago. Rhea took a deep breath before repeating the process Percy did.

" **I am Rhea, former Titaness of Motherhood, Mountain Wilds, and Fertility, heiress of Gaea, Primordial of Earth. Does anyone dispute my right?** " Again silence met her so she continued. " **Henceforward I claim my place as Primordial of Earth!** "

As she said it like Percy she glowed in tones of green power, Gaea's 'core' having been in her for some time, as the ground and entire Pit shook. From the look on some of the gods' faces he guessed that even the surface world was feeling earthquakes as the new master of the planet took her place. When the glow died down it reveal Rhea on one knee and like Percy, with a new addition of wings reminiscent of large eagle wings. The feathers were mainly dark brown but some of the feather edges were emerald green and with their fluttering there was a near gravely sound coming off them. Rhea took in her new additions in stride as she smiled at them before walked up and taking a seat to Percy's left, both now occupying the two center thrones which would soon be their place as king and queen of the new council.

Jason came up next, looking at Aether and Hemera who gave him encouraging smiles to which he nodded back in appreciation. He took a lose stance and tried to relax his shoulder before muttering, 'Now or never' to himself even though Percy could more or less read his lips.

" **I am Jason Grace, heir of Aether, Primordial of Upper Atmosphere and Light, and Hemera, Primordial of Day. Does anyone dispute my right? Then I claim my place as Primordial of Light, Day, and Upper Atmosphere!** "

Once he finished the same that happened to Nyx happened to Aether and Hemera as their 'cores' of power, two miniature stars, drifted into Jason making him glow in a blinding light as he also gave a shout of pain. Once the light died down Jason was reveal panting and not surprisingly, with pure white wings making him look like a true angel. His feathers though looked almost phantasmal, radiating light as small, near imperceptible crackles of electricity trailed between the feathers. He got over self inspecting though as Aether fell to a knee with Hemera leaning on him, both having lost their glow as Jason rushed to them.

Aether chuckled before muttering, "Damn I feel like I had too much of granny Chaos' special brew and an ass-kicking to match."

Hemera giggled weakly as Jason gave a tired sigh even as he smiled at the pair before brining both into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you both, it truly was an honor," he said but Aether shook his head.

"No, the honor was ours," the once primordial said before Hemera added, "And we don't regret a moment of it but Jason," she said as her face got a little more serious as she placed a hand over his heart. "Don't be scared of this okay? Take it as a last request from me and try to find love again. You've recovered a lot but you still need to be willing to open up again, otherwise you'll be lonely for a long time and I don't want that for you."

Jason looked a little uncomfortable with the subject but he nodded none the less making Hemera smile at him. She then gave him a last kiss on the cheek as Aether clapped the new primordial on the back and then the couple stood back as they started to turn to white dust as well with a gentle breeeze. Once they were gone silence reigned as Jason sniffed slightly before standing tall and making his way to a throne a seat away to Percy's right leaving an empty throne between them.

Andromeda came next as she looked at Eros and Phanes, both protogenoi looking at the brunette with clear pride in their eyes as they nodded to her. "Go on young one. You've already made us proud so hold your head high. The world awaits," Eros said to Phanes approving look making Andromeda smile shyly before she took a breath and repeated the process.

" **My name is Andromeda Xena Jackson, heiress of Eros, Primordial of Love and Attraction, and Phanes, Primordial of Procreation and Desire. Does anyone dispute my right? Then I claim my place as Primordial of Love, Attraction, Desire, and Procreation!** "

As she finished she gave a soft glow of pink and purple energy even as Percy and the others felt the power coming off her being nothing to scoff at. Once the glow fell Andromeda appeared with wings similar to those of Eros and Phanes though they had a mix of purple and pink feathers. Giving a quick once over she made her way to Eros and Phanes as both groaned while supporting each other, their skin getting remarkably pale.

"Damn, Aether wasn't kidding," Phanes grumbled as Eros chuckled.

"What were you expecting? Sudden weightlessness and a little tingling before moving on?" Eros asked making Phanes scowl at him.

"Even at your deathbeds you both argue," Andy sighed before hugging the twins. "I'll miss you both and your antics."

"But of course you will, we're awesome," Phanes replied as they returned the embrace.

"You're going to make a wonderful goddess of love," Eros added. "So make sure to keep an eye out for your brother and co, okay?" he asked as Andy nodded.

With that the pair stepped back and also began to fade as Andy wiped away her tears while giving them a sad smile. Once they were fully gone she went and took a seat to Jason's right, leaving the throne to Percy's right still empty but it was reserved for a special case. Next their eyes turned to Thalia, the ex-hunter stepping forward before Ouranus while nervously opening and closing her hands.

"Go on Thalia," the king of the skies said gently making his heiress calm slightly as she nodded before speaking.

" **My name is Thalia Grace, heiress of Ouranus, Primordial of the Heavens. Does anyone dispute my right? Then I claim my place as Primordial of the Heavens!** "

With her declaration near hurricane level winds surged around her with thunder booming around them making their hair whip around wildly. Percy ignored it though as he focused on Thalia's form as the winds slowly died out to reveal her with grey and blue wings crackling with electricity. Thalia glanced back at them for only a moment before she moved to Ouranus and caught him before he could fall. Ouranus gave and old and tired chuckled as he leaned on Thalia while looking at her.

"You know, if I have any regrets, it is that I couldn't spend as much time with you as my some of my siblings had with their heirs," he said as Thalia gave him a small smile.

"Well, if it is any consolation, I think you were more awesome in those few years," she said even if Percy could see the hint of sadness in her eyes.

Even if it had been a few years (actually over a decade since Ouranus had applied the same time distortion to his palace that Tartarus had to gain enough time to properly train her), Ouranus had been more of a father than Zeus had ever been for Thalia. But now her foster father was leaving her but she still had Percy himself and all the others, her family, to stand with her from now on.

Ouranus chuckled a little more at Thalia's statement before sighing as his body also started to turn to white dust but not before he straightened up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. With that he finally dispersed as Thalia wiped away a tear or two and stood straight before walking to her throne to Rhea's left, leaving two remaining to Thalia's left, one between Jason and Percy, and the last to Andromeda's right. Next came Phoebe as she stepped up dressed in a white and grey chiton, her hair flowing free as her amber eyes seemed to look up beyond the sky. She took a breath before stating her claim.

" **I am Adras Phoebe, Titaness of Bright Intellect and Prophecy, heiress of Anake, Primordial of Inevitability, Compulsion, and Necessity. Does anyone dispute my right? Then I claim my place as Primordial of Inevitability, Compulsion, and Necessity!** "

As she finished a pure wave of power exploded off her as time and space seemed to distort around her for a second, nearly causing their audience to fall to their knees save Tartarus while the new protogenoi smirked slightly. Phoebe wasn't as experienced at containing the power of a primordial much to the struggles of those watching while the new protogenoi shrugged it off. Phoebe also gained a set of wings but these seemed to be more ethereal with ghostly colors of green and very light blue. Once done inspecting Phoebe walked to the throne next to Thalia but instead of sitting she remained standing.

The other new protogenoi stood as well and looked at each other before proceeding to the next step.

"Phoebe," Percy said in a powerful voice that seemed to demand respect as the darkness of the Pit responded to his beck and call. "Continue."

She nodded before beginning to speak as her eyes glowed a light green, a similar glow surrounding Percy first.

" **Hail! Perseus Theseus Jackson, Primordial of Night, Darkness, Shadows, and Cold! King of the Protogenoi Council! Lord of Wolves!** " Phoebe finished as another wave of power erupted off Percy while his eyes widened as the new domains took their place with him.

A new domain, a conceptual one at that, added an unprecedented amount of power as he felt his control and awareness grow even stronger in the frozen lands of the earth. He could also feel the presence of wolves around the world and he could swear he could hear them collectively howling to the night at the recognition of their new master. He remained silent for a minute as he absorbed all the new input while the air around him flash froze for a moment. He then sighed while rolling his shoulders and looking to the other protogenoi who looked thoroughly god-smacked.

He would have given a sheepish chuckled but Phoebe wasn't stopping as she spoke again, this time the glow surrounding Rhea.

" **Hail! Moras Rhea, Primordial of Earth and Nature! Queen of the Protogenoi Council! Lady of Lions!** "

Like Percy, Rhea had a pulse of power come off her and Percy was reminded of the time he spent in Pan's presence before the god faded as an aura of peace and life radiated off her. Her aura was so enriching that real plants, unlike the fake ones Percy made for the garden, sprouted at her feet. Rhea smiled at her full declaration of their domains. After a moment Phoebe turned to Jason and continued on.

" **Hail! Jason Grace, Primordial of Light, Day, Upper Atmosphere!** "

As she finished Jason glowed only for a moment but far more subdued, though he looked a little lackluster but then again he didn't have a natural animal like Percy and Rhea though then again, the others didn't either. It was rare as is to have a natural sacred animal rather than a claimed animal. After Jason came Thalia.

" **Hail! Thalia Grace, Primordial of Heaven and Storms!** "

Thalia was around surrounded by another ragging wind for a moment before she sighed and relaxed while Phoebe turned her attention to Andromeda.

" **Hail! Andromeda Xena Jackson, Primordial of Love, Desire, Procreation, and Attraction!** "

As with the others Andromeda had another pulse of power come off her before she remained standing straight. With all the heirs fully claimed and placed, the new council directed their attention to the center as Styx walked up to them. The Titaness of the River of Hate fidgeted with nervous energy, her green and black streaked eyes looking at each of them for a moment or so before switching. Her dark green hair seeming to churn with the same waters of her river flowed around her while her hands played with the strings tied around her black chiton.

"Meris Styx," Percy started, gaining the titan's attention as she stood straighter, though in fear or respect Percy wasn't too sure. "You are called before the Primordial Council to ascend to our ranks as a new seat. Do you accept?" he asked to which she slowly nodded.

Percy smirked before all the protogenoi raised a hand and aimed it at her as they started to speak in the ancient tongue of the Primordial Gods as Styx was surrounded in a glow of power. Soon the glow was blinding before it exploded in a wave of power. Once released Styx stood with an air of a primordial, wings of seemingly solid green and black water resting at her back as Phoebe spoke.

" **Hail! Meris Styx, Primordial of the River Styx, Hate, and Oaths!** "

With Phoebe's words the birth of a completely new primordial was complete. Styx smiled before she walked and stood before the seat next to Phoebe leaving the throne to Percy's right and the last to Andromeda's right empty. Percy glanced at Nico before speaking.

"Nico, I know you can't take your place as a full primordial yet but I think you are more than clear to claim the title of heir," he said as Nico glanced at Tartarus. The last elder primordial nodded to which Nico responded by walking up to the center before speaking.

" **I, Nico Di Angelo, state my claim and right to be heir of Tartarus, Primordial of the Pit!** "

With his words a combination of elements ranging from darkness and purple flames to the ground shaking beneath them along with the Pit surrounded Nico. The protogenoi watched as the new demi-primordial's power spiked to godly levels. Once the elements calmed Nico was visible again with an even stronger aura of malevolence around him but with a new addition.

Around his neck was a black steeled pendant with what looked like a ruby in the center glowing with in an ethereal red. ' _His manifestation of power'_ Percy thought while also wondering what abilities the pendant carried. Nico self inspected himself for a moment while Percy glanced to Tartarus, noticing the nearly hidden slouch the elder primordial now had. ' _No going back with the next phase,'_ Percy mused before looking at Rhea to his left and after exchanging a nod, she spoke.

"Aera Hestia," Rhea called, making the goddess in question jump slightly while the others looked on curiously. "Please step forward."

Hestia gulped at the commanding voice of her mother but did so, walking slowly while looking at each new primordial in apprehension as their audience remained rather silent. Once in the center she stopped as Percy decided it was his turn to speak.

"Hestia," he said in a warm tone as the goddess locked eyes with him. "You've been a quiet observer to the time of the Olympians and always helped keep the peace. Though few ever noticed you, you were key to maintaining hope even in the gravest of circumstances. You were also humble and able to set aside your pride as a goddess to set a balance in the Olympian Council. But now to us, hope is needed more than anything. We are about to go to war and the trust in our family matters above all. That is why I ask you … would you accept a new seat among the Primordial Council?"

If Hestia's eyes could get any wider Percy wasn't sure but it looked like she was damn well trying. He had to suppress a chuckle at her face, lest she think he was joking. However, he and the other protogenoi remained rather stern though not unkind as they waited for the goddess to process the invitation. It took several minutes before Hestia finally shook off the shock before looking directly back at Percy again.

"A-are you sure?" she asked in a near whisper. "… I mean … I …"

She trailed off as she looked down at her feet, her frame shaking slightly making Rhea sigh with a small and understanding smile. She then walked forward towards Hestia and brought the younger goddess into a gentle hug before speaking softly.

"Hestia … you have no idea just how important you are to not only Percy and I but all of us. We want you with us, to be our warmth and guidance. So … what do you say?"

Hestia kept shaking for a bit before slowly looking up, showing that she had been crying silently but the warm smile on her face told Percy that those were happy tears. To being finally recognized and accepted rather than the quiet goddess dismissed by most of her family for several millennia.

"Yes …" she replied making Rhea beam before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

Rhea stepped back to her throne and turned as the protogenoi gave Hestia encouraging smiles before raising their hands again. The chanted once more in the primordial language as Hestia was surrounded in a red and orange surge of divine power, the air around them starting to steam around them. They wrapped up the chant but just as they lowered their hands Percy's eyes widened as he felt the surge of power coming. With a flick of his wrist a wall of darkness surged before their audience as several of the other protogenoi raised their own defense, mostly covering themselves with their wings.

Not a moment too soon an explosion of the strongest Greek fire Percy had ever felt burst around Hestia. Percy, even being immune to fire damage thanks to Hestia's blessing from so long ago, felt the heat surrounding him to the point of mild discomfort. The blaze died down in a few seconds and he glanced around at the others that rested their wings, none looking hurt at all even though some of their wings were steaming. Percy also lowered the wall of darkness cutting off their audience before focusing back on Hestia.

His jaw almost dropped as he looked at her again but this time _really_ looked at her. Her once brunette hair was now nearly as black as his own but with orange and red _glowing_ tips reaching her mid back. Her light skin had gained a tanner complexion while her irises were glowing in deep tones of red flame similar to his black flaming eyes while her pupils became narrow while remaining dark. Her modest chiton became far more form fitting, hugging her curves in ways that made him focus on his self-control. And lastly on her back were a pair of wings looking like a fusion of bright red feathers _and_ scales. Each scale covering the top gleamed in deep crimson with waves of heat radiating off them as a polar opposite to the cool darkness dissipating around Percy's raven wings.

While Percy continued to imprint the sight before him to his mind permanently Phoebe shook her head a little before clearing her throat. That broke Percy's stupor as he glanced at the new primordial of fate as Phoebe spoke.

" **Hail! Aera Hestia, Primordial of Hope, Unity, and Fire! Second Queen of the Protogenoi Council! Lady of Dragons!** "

Percy's jaw dropped again at the mention of Hestia's domains as well as her newest title. Dragons. Of all the sacred animals to naturally attain Hestia had to get the rarest. There were few true dragons in Greek mythology but the few known were some of the most powerful, Ladon chief among them. Hestia herself marveled at herself before looking at Percy again with a more confident air around her. Percy smiled at her before glancing at the empty throne beside him. Hestia smiled as she walked up to it and sat down, looking as though she was born to be on that throne.

With her sitting so did the others before their audience stepped closer themselves, looking on in awe. Percy smirked slightly before he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Once he had it he spoke calmly, "Now that the new council is formed be ready." He then moved his hands to his sides and took a hand from Hestia and Rhea each, getting a reassuring squeeze from both.

"Our war … is about to begin …"

* * *

 **How was it! Did I surprise anyone? I certainly hope so and don't be shy to let my know what you think!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	19. New Home

**Author's Note: Big chapter for yah to enjoy! Loved the reviews and messages so keep them up! Now, quick thing to note;**

 **1 - Updates will be weekly on Sunday nights or mornings. If by chance a delay is happening (I'll know since I write chapters in advance), I'll announce it for you all.**

 **2 - It seems a very large grouping of readers wants Percy/Andromeda. I originally made so Percy wouldn't but I've gotten some input that it could match (And I can find _anyone_ worthy of Andromeda otherwise). Anyways, I'm putting it to a final vote whether it happens or not. If it helps, they're Greek, are technically no longer related by blood, and if anyone is uncomfortable with it, I will put clear warnings before any sort of intimate scene (I do that anyways for any character pairings).**

 **Otherwise, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own plot.**

* * *

The night sky was cloudless as millions of tiny stars glittered in the perfectly black canvas. The winds barely above the gentlest breeze, a cool caress to any out at the hour as the new moon remained hidden. ' _Looks like the huntress isn't out tonight … good,'_ a feminine figure thought as she looked out over a sheer cliff. Below her was an immense valley nestled between the Rockies and prairies beyond.

Her raven hair drifted slightly with the wind reached the back of her coppery thighs. Her athletic and full figure was barely hidden away by a short, strapless and sleeveless black dress that reached mid-thigh with slits at the sides reaching her hips for movement. She wore black drakon leather boots reaching just above her knees with slight heels and Tartarean Steel toes. Along her arms she wore separate sleeves with black Void crystal bracers and fingerless gloves. Tied at her hip was a long black chain with twin barbed knives each reaching a foot in length. Lastly were her bright green eyes like those of snakes staring out into the still night as she hummed to herself.

This woman was none other than one of the most dangerous and recognized monsters of Greek mythology, made lethal with her training and new pledge. This is Medusa.

At times she would open and close her hands, still experimenting with her new found strength. Her oath taken only days ago after the new council formed … and the consequences of such a pledge …

* * *

 **Two Days Ago**

Medusa and Lamia stood side to side in their combat attire. Lamia being in a similar dress to Medusa only with the addition of a black leather jacket and Void crystal bracers and shoulder guards while her bow formed of Tartarean Steel was strapped to her back. Her creamy skin and bright blue eyes contrasting to her pitch black hair. Both stood straight and proud before their savior, their King, and not-really secret crush, Percy.

He looked at the pair sternly as well as a small table between them and two goblets of Stygian Iron. Inside the cups was bright green water provided directly by Lady Styx rather than obtained from her river. Medusa would have been lying if she said she wasn't nervous. Percy, along with all the other new protogenoi had such an overwhelming presence now, even when suppressed and it made her instincts go haywire. Part of her wanted to kneel and gravel, knowing she was beneath him in every sense of the word while another part of her wanted to jump him and be _beneath_ him in all the right ways. Only her very rational fear of Rhea and now Hestia kept her at bay from trying, even though knowing Percy would never be unfaithful.

A rather annoying but positive aspect of his that she honestly loved even if it was working against her at the moment. She glanced to the side and noted that Lamia was also shuffling nervously with a shy glance directed at her King. If it wasn't the wrong time for it Medusa would have teased her mercilessly but now they stood at attention as Percy cleared his throat.

"Medusa, Lamia …" he said in a rich and deep voice making her shudder. "… Are you two ready for this? To swear your undying loyalty to me, for better or for worse, until the very end of days?"

Medusa and Lamia shared one glance before facing him without an ounce of doubt in their eyes as they said together. "We swear."

Percy looked at them intently before nodding and bringing up his hand to his mouth. He bit down on his palm, making use of his fangs as _platinum_ ichor, another defining feature of these new protogenoi, dripped off his palm and into the two cups equally. The green water within the cups hissed as the platinum and green liquids swirled in a perfect balance. Percy soon stopped and Medusa watched as his injury healed within moments as shadows condensed around it before he picked up the cups and offered one to each.

Medusa took hers along with Lamia and the pair looked into the cups before downing them together. Medusa suddenly felt a burning pain surge through her veins but she bit her lips to prevent herself from screaming as her frame shook, Lamia not doing much better. The shadows writhed and withered around them, frost forming beneath their feet as their veins glowed in tones of gold. The agony only lasted for a few seconds but it felt like so much longer before she suddenly dropped to her knees panting, the darkness around them calming as well.

Sweat trailed off her brow as she looked up to the sound of Percy chuckling softly. She met his flaming black eyes as he looked at them with pride and care before he spoke.

"Well down ladies, your oaths are cemented. No longer are you mere monsters or even gods …" he said as he dropped to one knee and cupped each of their chins to keep their faces aimed at him even as both tried to suppress their blushes. "… You are now my right and left hands, my wraiths, my _Shadows …_ "

* * *

 **Present**

They were fully bonded to Percy now. Ichor flowed through their veins as they inherited abilities similar to their one and only master along with any gift obtained from their oaths. Medusa's strength rose to godly levels as well as her aptitude for swords while Lamia gained the senses and stamina of wolves making her a perfect huntress capable of tracking any target for hundreds of miles if needed. ' _Hmm … I wonder if we will start hunting soon,'_ she thought with a small smirk before her senses picked up a familiar presence approaching as she turned her eyes to the night sky.

The fluttering of feathers and powerful beats forewarned the arrival of whom she searched for making her smile softly. There approached a magnificent white stallion with wings as grand as the rising dawn. She stepped back to allow some space as her son, the first and original Pegasus, landed before her in all his grandeur. His muscles coiled underneath his glowing coat as he turned to face her while tucking in his wings. His blackened muzzle, eyes, and hooves being the only thing to blemish his white coat and wings.

She watched as her son took her in after being separated from her for millennia thanks to her curse and presence befitting that of a monster. For some tense minutes they stood unmoving but then, with a small snort her son approached steadily. She made no move until her son, standing at 6 feet at the shoulder and his head towering over her, brought his head down and tenderly nuzzled her cheek. It made her smile the way only a mother could before she gently hugged his muzzled to her as he stepped closer.

"My son …" she said softly as she stroked his neck. "You've certainly grown."

She got an appreciative snort out of it before she leaned back slightly and looked directly.

"I don't know what the years have been like with your _father_ ," she spat out Poseidon's role in disgust. "But I ask now … would you stand by me instead?"

They locked eyes as she said that. No words needed to be said between them as their emotions seemed to pass through their touch. She could tell he'd missed her but had never been able to approach her, being forbidden by the gods ever since his birth. She had also been a monster for some time and being filled with so much hate only made her presence more intolerable for him but now she was different. The proof was in how he found her in only hours after she came to the surface for the first time in nearly a decade.

Her own love for her child and wish to form that maternal bond with him passed into him, letting him know that she cared little for how or why he was conceived, only that she loved him regardless. It was all made clear between the pair before her son snorted again and then nuzzled her in yes making her beam. She then leaned up on her toes and kissed his forehead … but more happened.

From her kiss a darkness like the richest ink spread through his coat. All the while he stood still, comforted in the warmth and presence of his mother as the darkness spread over him. The very night seemed to stir around them as the darkness seeped into Pegasus before he jerked slightly but relaxed soon once Medusa soothed him. Soon the darkness and shadows dispersed but now Pegasus was reborn. His coat now being as black as Percy in his wolf form and similar raven wings, Pegasus' eyes being icy blue completely as frost seemed to form along the ground beneath his hooves.

Medusa looked at her son in pride and felt their connection deepen to the point she took her hands off him and could still read his emotions to understand him. Her son looked at himself before rearing on his back legs proudly, approving of his new form as she smiled.

"You look good my son … now, you know where to go," she said before receiving a nod and quick nuzzling before Pegasus turned around.

He thundered off the cliff and took to the night sky, his new home as his body became one with the darkness. She watched him fly away with pride before she sighed as she looked down. The shadows seemed to seep together to form a puddle below her before she sank, leaving the cliff without a trace …

* * *

The shadows condensed to form Medusa again as she arrived at a familiar garden. She turned to the sight of the infamous Tree of Golden Apples. Off to the side the four Hesperides stood slack jawed with a grinning Percy beside them, his wings hidden and hood up to hide his face for the time being as they all stared at the tree. Still wrapped around the tree was Ladon but the massive dragon's hundred heads all were trained to the same spot. Sitting comfortably on the grass was Hestia with several of Ladon's heads resting around her, one even curled up partially on her lap as giving the dragon equivalent of a purr as Hestia, her wings also hidden, giggled and scratched the dragon's nose.

Medusa chuckled with amusement as she walked to Percy's side and watched as Hestia seemed to whisper to Ladon, the dragon purring and blowing snorts of approval before she, like Medusa had before, kissed his nose. From the kiss a crimson flames spread over Ladon but the dragon made no gesture of alarm. Soon the entire dragon's body was awash with the flames for several seconds without actually burning the floor or tree even as the temperature rose to the point the Hesperides were all sweating while Percy and Medusa remained as cool as cucumbers. After the flames dispersed Ladon was revealed with a new color. His scales gleamed like molten rubies with steam billowing off the dragon, his glowing orange eyes taking himself in.

Then the massive dragon stood up, the ground trembling at his movement as he uncoiled himself from the tree for the first time since being posted as the guard. Then, with a swipe of his left foreclaw, the dragon unearthed the tree, roots and all, before picking it up with several heads while the largest of the heads turned to face Hestia. She nodded as she waved her hand as a portal of fire opened before him, raising the ambient temperature even more. Good thing Percy erected a barrier to hide power for this or else the Olympians would have come running. Ladon didn't hesitate to walk through the portal, heading to the same location Medusa had sent Pegasus to. Once the dragon was through the portal closed and Hestia walked up to Percy, the silent Hesperides watching on in stunned silence.

Hestia giggled at Percy's smirk before giving him a quick kiss making Medusa a little jealous but she kept it hidden as the pair separated.

"We'll be waiting," Hestia said before she disappeared in a swirl of fire making Medusa breathe a little easier thanks to Hestia's chosen form of transport.

Hestia was still new to the power she had and tended to burn her surroundings when flashing so she stuck to flame teleportation for now … not that any of the new protogenoi were much better at the moment.

"So …" Medusa started as she glanced at the stunned girls with their eyes glued to the former location of Hera's little tree. "What now?"

"Now, I make good on my promise to Atlas," Percy said as he started to walk and Medusa fell in step behind him and slightly to his right.

She could hear the Hesperides shake themselves from their surprise and start to follow them making Medusa curious so she leaned closer and whispered to Percy.

"So why aren't they calling to Olympus or anything since we basically took the only reason they are here?"

"Hestia convinced them that her sister wanted the tree moved. They weren't that hard to convince to stay quiet and they don't remember the last time I was here. Now I think they're just too curious to see what I'll do to bother contacting the Olympians," he replied under his breath, too low for anyone other than Medusa to hear.

She nodded in understanding as they made their way up the mountain and to Atlas, the titan still in his personalized prison while turned to their direction. No doubt that he sensed the spikes in power with Ladon's change and the portal but then his eyes fell on Percy's approaching form.

"So …you've returned," the titan said, sounding surprised that Percy actually kept his word.

"Of course," Percy said before grinning as Atlas got a good read to his new power as Percy got close enough, even while suppressed.

Medusa snickered as the titan paled, probably now just realizing just how much of a threat Percy was … granted at the moment he only felt like a strong titan on par with Kronos. Now that she thought about it as she glanced back at the Hesperides, the four seemed to be standing on shaky legs while giving nervous glances to Percy. ' _My-my, it seems my King has become quite the imposing figure,'_ she thought while barely restraining herself from licking her lips. She shook off those thoughts though before focusing back on Percy and Atlas.

"So, get ready to move over a little," Percy said casually as he walked up to the titan's side.

Without warning Percy gave Atlas a shoulder shove, pushing the surprised titan a couple of meters away while he barely kept himself from falling over. All the while Percy grunted a little as the weight of the skies dropped on him alone barely even getting him to slouch. Atlas approached with an incredulous look, eyeing Percy up and down.

"Just who are you?" Atlas asked with suspicion in his voice. "Nothing short of a god could hold that and certainly none bare Hercules or myself could with such ease."

"Oh please," Percy said as he looked at Atlas. "First off, Ouranus used to hold the skies with his thoughts alone and it was your father with his three brothers that wanted to play with the big kids so Ouranus divided the task between them. I can handle it easily."

"But who are you?" Atlas persisted as his daughters neared him while still looking at Percy and now Medusa nervously.

"Hmm," Percy hummed before grinning, his fangs flashing as he spoke again. "First that one order. I order you, Atlas, to take the portal opened for you and upon arrival, you will swear on the Styx to serve Rhea faithfully until she deems you fit to release from service." Atlas looked enraged at the trick but was stunned into silence as Percy flicked his hood back, letting Atlas see his face for the first time since all those years ago. "Yep, it's been a while big guy but we can catch up later."

With that a portal of shadows formed behind Atlas and before he could try to protest in any way Medusa moved. Launching herself like a cannon ball she dashed forward and jumped at Atlas before he could even notice her. With both feet she kicked Atlas in the chest, surprising the titan with her strength and sending him careening back through the portal before he could so much as utter a sound.

"Did you need to do that?" Percy asked in amusement as she looked back at him and grinned.

"I didn't want to hear him complaining about being unfair," she replied sweetly before looking at the silent Hesperides. "And you girls can follow after your father."

"Why? What are you going to do with us?" one of them asked with narrowed eyes but Medusa could tell that all four were terrified at the moment.

"Well do you really want to stick around?" Medusa asked with a shrug. "Your father isn't here and you can't guard the tree … just makes me wonder what will happen with you four in the hands of the Olympians now without any excuse." That got to them as all four shiver in fear and disgust, knowing the more than likely treatment they would receive if taken to Olympus.

"O-okay …" another one said as all four moved through the portal.

Once they were gone Percy allowed it to close before looking at Medusa again.

"You didn't need to scare them like that," he said in a slightly reprimanding tone but she replied with a pout.

"I wasn't lying though," she defended getting a shrug from him. "So what now?" she asked as she moved closer to him while looking out at the city off the mountain.

"We wait, Rhea and Thalia will handle the rest," he said as he rolled his arms to get them in a more comfortable position.

"Fine …" she drawled out as she sat down in front of him and the pair remained silent for a while.

"…"

"…"

"… So wanna play I spy?"

* * *

 **With Rhea**

"So this is it?"

Rhea looked over her shoulder to Thalia as the pair continued to walk through a large clearing as a cool wind blew, the evergreens swaying slightly.

"Yep, we are making home here," she replied as she returned her attention to the clearing before her and scanning the flat land going on for miles in every direction.

"But Canada?" Thalia asked as she stepped up beside Rhea.

"What's wrong with Canada?" Rhea retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing just," Thalia paused as she searched for words. "I don't know. Why not Quebec or something like that. We are in the middle of Ontario with nothing for over a hundred miles in any direction."

"That's true but it's a perfectly strategic location," she replied easily. "We are out in the wilderness which is my turf now, Canada has more and longer nights along with the cold meaning Percy will always have the advantage here but in the summer Jason will, and it's too far for the Olympians to have influence making it risky for them to even think about attacking us themselves."

"Won't stop them from sending armies," Thalia retorted but Rhea only grinned.

"Armies marching hundreds miles of wild terrain and at the mercy of the elements and wild animals along with any defenses we form. By all means, let them attack," she said before focusing on the land before her. "Now give me some silence please."

Thalia snorted in a reply but Rhea ignored it before she focused on the earth beneath her. She could feel the hum of life and power beneath her feet, both from the ground itself and the wildlife surrounding them. She could make out millions of little vibrations and movement made from the smallest animals and humans in the closest settlement to the very shift of the tectonic plates responding to her whim. Then, as she slowly raised one hand the earth around them shook as the life around her seemed to hold still with baited breath. A massive fissure rivaling some of the largest canyons started to form in front of her before a mountain started to jut out of the divided earth.

She maintained her focus all the while suppressing a smirk at the sight of Thalia beside her, the younger goddess looking on, god-smacked as the maintain grew before them and taking up the entire clearing and beyond. Rhea felt a few beads of sweat forming on her brow as she felt the earth around them tremble and move to allow the whole mountain to reveal itself, some parts of the rock faces blackened and scorched but there was nothing to be done about it. After all … she was raising this mountain from the very plains of Tartarus. After nearly an hour the whole mountain stood before them making them crane their heads up to even try to see the top.

Rhea took another breath before she focused on the mountain while raising her hands together as if holding it before tearing them apart. At her motion entire chunks of rock were violently torn off the mountain face and sides with billowing clouds of dust and gravel. Thalia waved her hand making a powerful gust to remove all the dust only to be stunned again at what was now revealed. Hidden by the exterior rock as a protective shell now removed, Thalia could see a winding path reminiscent of a snake curled up and leading from them up to the mountain top. As wide as a three lane highway and with a gentle incline before the very top seemed to run into a dead end 2/3s of the mountain.

"Come on," Rhea said as she willed her wings to appear before jumping and with a powerful beat, rose high into the sky.

Thalia tailed her quick enough and soon they were several thousand feet in the air facing the mountain face, the end of the path a ways under them.

"Why does the path stop into the mountain face?" Thalia asked but only got a sly smile from Rhea as a response.

"This is why," Rhea answered as she waved her hand and like a broken egg, the top of the mountain cracked.

It rumbled for a while as it fell open and off the mountain top, the sight only getting Rhea to smile more while Thalia had a far more extreme reaction.

"No fucking way!" she shouted as her eyes glowed more in excitement.

"Way," Rhea snickered.

Now revealed to the world was a city nearly double the size of Olympus. With a grand archway at the top of the path, a city of marble and obsidian seemed to glow in the night. The buildings were built much like the designs of Anglo-Saxon Europe but given archways and columns reminiscent of Greek times. The roadways were illuminated by solid light lamp posts as the paths curled in and up. The city had three divisions separated by a raise in elevation and a marking archway with a gate. The lowest and largest seemed to have the most space with few homes and large storages for all kinds of supplies next to obviously free expanses of land meant for farming.

Rhea even noted a large barracks built not too far from the main entrance, just far enough to not seem imposing over the entrance but close enough that any soldier could reach the gates in a few minutes and from the larger observations towers along the roof, a ballista could easily be aimed at the entrance too. The next level in was built for residential districts and shops with multi-level buildings and raised pathways to reach higher buildings. Higher archways and paths on the roofs of some buildings also stood out as paths for soldiers and check points with the occasional watch tower for sentries.

Lastly on the top level were simple temples but rather than built with designs to represent any one of their loyal gods or the protogenoi themselves, they remained mostly blank. Rhea knew that later one each temple would be converted later on and possibly more added to create a physical link for each new god allying with them. Then, right in the center was the largest temple with several separate wings and even a tower topped with an observatory and garden in a large courtyard to the back. Rhea scanned over every inch as she hovered forward in the direction of the main temple.

"What is all this?" Thalia asked in awe beside her as the pair moved on.

"A parting gift left by Nyx and the others," Rhea answered as she looked at Thalia. "It was her idea and she made it in secret with the other previous protogenoi for us. Our own city to protect and care for … though I think we'll need to decorate a little more."

"And how did you know about it?" Thalia asked her curiously as she moved in front of Rhea and flew backwards without pause.

"Tartarus showed me the day after we formed the new council," she replied easily.

"And the main temple? Is that where we'll live?" Thalia asked while jerking her thumb backwards.

"No," Rhea replied while shaking her head. "Think of it as the official HQ for our council. Our throne room and several offices are located there for us to receive reports and requesting needing our attention."

"Then where do we live?" Thalia asked with a frown.

"Don't you own the Palace of the Skies now?" Rhea retorted making Thalia blush in slight embarrassment.

"Yeah … I guess I do," she replied sheepishly but it only made Rhea giggle.

"Don't worry about it. There is more to it but all I can say for now is that our personal home was built by Ouranus and a certain gentleman but we won't get it until a few more things are done. So don't go worrying about anything, we'll all be living together even though some of us will have our own separate spaces such as you with your palace and Percy owning the House of Night."

"Cool," Thalia hummed before the pair finally arrived over the temple before Thalia whistled. "Those are some big ass chairs," she muttered while looking through a large window into the throne room and spotting the thrones, each measuring around five stories tall.

"Well what did you expect?" Rhea asked while eyeing Thalia. "Our godly height is thirty meters."

"I feel like we will accidently step on people every now and then," Thalia chuckled darkly before adding. "Makes you wonder what they would do if they saw our divine forms."

"Well aside from the fact that anything short of a god would be vaporized for just standing too close, let alone looking at us, and the fact that we'd each be as tall as Typhoon, I suggest you don't go assuming it," Rhea chided before adding. "Remember what Tartarus told us. Lady Chaos made a strict ruling that no primordial may assume their divine form on a mortal realm so unless in your palace or Tartarus, stick to godly or mortal form."

"I know," Thalia said while raising her hands in surrender.

The pair then descended until they arrived at the courtyard, the soft grass cushioning them as a cool breeze swept over the mountain. Thalia followed Rhea as she walked forward to a large pond with a stone walkway laying over the still water to a little island in the center.

"This is it," Rhea said as she stopped at the border of the pond.

"Here looks good as any," Thalia agreed before a sudden burst of heat drew their attention behind them to see a large portal of fire.

"Perfect timing," Rhea muttered as Ladon, with a surprisingly new coloration, stepped through with the Tree of Golden Apples held firmly within some of the coils of his neck.

The dragon didn't mind them as he moved on a ways and deposited the tree gently down and laid down beside it while now turning his heads to look at them.

"I'm actually surprised Hestia could do it," Thalia said as she looked at the dragon curiously but made no move to approach.

"Hey, Lady of Dragons and all that," Rhea said with a smile while feeling a swelling of pride over her daughter. "Now I think we need to wait a few more minutes for Percy to be in place."

"I hope he hurries," Thalia grumbled.

"What's the hurry, its not like you're doing anything right now," Rhea said as she crossed her arms and looked at the younger goddess.

"I know … it's just that I'm antsy okay," Thalia replied. "I haven't been on Earth for years and I can't help feeling like a fight could start at any moment."

"Thalia, the gods would be committing suicide if they attacked us here directly," Rhea reminded her.

"True …" Thalia sighed as she tried to relax before another flash of flames drew their attention to see Hestia having arrived as well.

"Hey there sweetie," Rhea greets warmly as Hestia approached before giving her a quick hug and then looking around.

"This looks nice," Hestia said while gesturing to the far walls of the courtyard made of marble and obsidian with a few solid light lamps around.

"Wait, you knew about this whole city!?" Thalia asked incredulously. "I only found out a few minutes ago."

"Well you were too excited and ran off to check in on your Palace when Tartarus showed a few of us. No worries though, Andromeda is still in the dark since she joined you," Hestia replied with a little snicker at the end.

"Great," Thalia huffed while throwing her hands up in the air making both the other goddesses giggle at her.

"So how long do you think?" Rhea asked Hestia.

"It shouldn't take long," Hestia replied with a shrug before looking at Ladon.

Rhea could have sworn the dragon was giving Hestia the closest thing it could to the puppy dog eyes with wagging tail and all, practically begging for her attention.

"It's odd that I find him slightly cute like that," Thalia muttered as she looked at the dragon as well.

"Want to pet him?" Hestia asked excitedly.

"Won't his scales scrape us though and poison us?" Thalia asked as she eyed the dragon warily.

"Nope," Hestia chirped. "I made some changes to him when he became my sacred animal so I took away the poison from his blood and saliva."

"What did you change it too then?" Rhea asked curiously as the three goddesses walked closer to the dragon.

"His blood is now hot and acidic enough to melt even Celestial bronze in a few minutes while he can breathe fire now, even Greek fire if you really piss him off," Hestia replied nonchalantly.

"I pity the idiot that tries to pick a fight with him," Rhea said as they got close enough to pet some of his heads. She marveled at how warm and smooth his scales felt now as the dragon purred contently making the ground shake slightly around them.

They remained like that for a few minutes simply chatting on trivial things and giving Ladon some attention before they noticed a portal of darkness opening up not too far away. Rhea smiled as she approached it but then her eyes widened when her nephew shout out of it. Her hand lashed in reflex as she stepped aside, catching Atlas by the scruff of his worn shirt stopping him dead. She then dropped him and waited as he got his bearings as he stood up. He towered over her at eight foot but she wasn't the slightest bit intimidated especially when he finally noticed her and paled.

"I guess you feel my increase in power," she said offhandedly while resting her hands on her hips. "So I believe you have some orders to fulfill."

"Aunt Rhea," he said through grit teeth before he slowly dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "I … I swear myself, Oras Atlas, to Lady Rhea on the Styx to serve … faithfully and without fail until she sees fit to release me."

A loud thunder crack followed to sealing the oath but unlike before, a green energy seemed to form a collar around Atlas' neck before fading into his skin. ' _Looks like Styx's new higher authority on oaths is coming into play now,'_ Rhea thought before she smiled as she rested a hand on her nephew's shoulder.

"I accept your oath Atlas. Now stand," she ordered and he did so before they all looked as his daughters came through the portal before it closed behind them.

"Man, everyone is showing up now," Thalia commented as she and Hestia approached making Atlas and his daughters start as they noticed yet another former heroine of Olympus before them radiating similar power to Percy.

"And now we have to get to our part," Rhea replied as they returned to the pond with the others following.

"Did they have wings before?" one of the Hesperides whispered making Rhea chuckle.

"They're markers for us," she replied while looking over her shoulder.

"Markers for what?" Atlas asked as he then noted that Hestia had willed her wings to appear as well.

"For the new Protogenoi," Thalia answered with a wide grin at the stunned faces of Atlas and his daughters.

"Thalia," Rhea said to get the girl's attention.

"Right."

They both stood side by side as they faced the island centered at the pond. Together they took a deep breath before aiming their hands at the island and concentrating. Soon their hands started to glow their respective green and pale blue auras. Rhea could feel the shift of the Earth and the ley-lines of natural energy and power move in accordance to her will and centering at their mountain. The mountain started to trembled as the winds picked up around Thalia with some storm clouds forming overhead.

Then the island started to shake and crack as tendrils of white bark crawled out before fusing in the center. It started to form into a massive oak with a trunk nearly six meters across. Then thunder crackled overhead before lightning actually struck the tree but left no damage, if anything it seemed to help with the growth. Instead with every strike the oak seemed to form veins glowing in colors of light blues and greens while the tree's branches sprouted golden leaves and the dirt at the tree's roots became as black as obsidian. While all that was happening Rhea could feel an immense pressure begin to weigh down on the tree but the oak remained firm in its growth as it took the burden of the skies. The storm remained around them as the tree finished growing to nearly five stories tall of magnificent white bark and golden leaves.

After they finished both primordial goddesses sighed as they dropped their hands to their sides. Thalia then wiped her brow as she snapped her fingers to make a glass of nectar appear in her hands before downing the entire thing in one go.

"Stupid Olympians," Thalia muttered as she snapped her fingers again to make the glass disappear. "Having to fix a destabilized sky of all things."

"Well now the Earth and Sky are reconnected properly," Hestia chimed as the other stepped closer to admire the tree.

"And it looks wonderful," a male voice said making all whirl around to see Percy and Medusa having just formed out of shadow.

"It is pretty," Medusa added as she looked at the tree curiously before she glanced at the skies.

"He'll get here later," Percy said to her probably knowing what Medusa was waiting for before he looked at the others. "So … want to break in those thrones?" he asked with a smirk.

"Lead the way honey," Rhea said in a teasing tone as she and Hestia each took one of Percy's arms and started walking back into the main temple and completely ignoring the currently spluttering Atlas.

They could hear the others following behind them as they walked, the large hallways illuminated by the celestial bronze torches that ignited as they got close and remained on while warming up the atmosphere around them. It took a few minutes until they arrived in the largest chamber being large enough to house a football stadium with their currently plain thrones. Rhea heard the group behind them pause as she along with Percy, Hestia, and Thalia kept moving forward to their thrones. With each step they started to group taller and taller, their footfalls soon becoming echoing booms causing a slight tremble to pass through the temple.

Percy took the center throne with Hestia and Rhea at his left and right sides respectively, the backrests being especially thin along their backs to not bother their wings. As each primordial sat their throne changed to their element or domains. Percy's became obsidian with cool mist and shadows seeping off it whereas Rhea's turned to emerald with depictions of nature carved into it. Hestia's became ruby with steam and even small bouts of fire coming off it. Thalia's on the other hand remained as marble but gained carved depictions of storm clouds and literally crackled with lightning along the borders.

As they sat Rhea could feel their thrones become tied to their domains and become their focal points, filling each primordial god with energy making them sigh contently while expanding their senses to the farthest reaches of their domains.

Rhea still found it overwhelming at times being able to feel all life on and in the Earth, even to the Underworld though Tartarus still belonged to its namesake god. She could only imagine what Percy and Hestia were feeling, the pair having equally extensive domains that were beyond physical representations and judging by their focused expressions they were trying to organize all the input as well. She was broken out of her mussing through with several arrivals.

Jason, showing that he did have his moments of flare for the dramatic, appeared in a strike of white lightning through one of the open windows while Andromeda appeared in a poof of pink and purple smoke making her cough slightly. Phoebe seemed to simply phase into existence while green water condensed in the air to form Styx. Nico appeared in a burst of Hellfire.

"Yo," Percy greeted as the others walked to their thrones while growing to Primordial heights of a hundred feet and took their seats. Andromeda quickly moved to her throne and upon sitting the throne it turned into a blue shade of opal with the slightest accents of pink and lavender. Jason's remained as marble like Thalia but his seat glowed more along with having white lightning trailing off the frame. Styx's throne turned into Stygian Iron of all things and Phoebe's became a sort of quartz if Rhea had to guess but otherwise remained plain. Then all the seated protogenoi looked together to Nico as the boy stood before his throne and craning his head back just to look up at it.

Percy and Jason tried to hide their slight snickers as Nico thought on a way to get around being human sized and needing to sit on a throne reaching five stories in height. After a moment of scratching his chin he snapped his fingers before closing his eyes and directing his hand at his throne. Rhea leaned forward curiously before she felt the slight shake and displacement of rock as marble steps formed from Nico all the way up to the seat of his throne. They all watched in silence as Nico took his time ascending the steps looking perfectly relaxed until he reached the actual seat. Then with another wave of his hand a new, properly sized throne formed on the seat of the actual throne and Nico took a seat.

He looked quite comfortable as he even crossed one leg over the other, laced his hands together before setting them on a knee, and turning his attention to the council … while sending a barely hidden glare at the still snickering Percy and Jason. Rhea herself giggled slightly at the sight of Nico sitting on a throne on another throne.

"Alright then," Percy said once he reigned himself in thanks to Hestia poking at his side. "So is everyone already assimilated to their thrones?" He got a wave of nods before he continued on. "Great! Now we have to actually get this city ready if we want our allies to move in and feel welcome."

"Oh! Before I forget," Hestia cut in as she waved her hand.

At her command a dip the size of a community pool formed in the center of the throne room with logs of white marble appeared. Then, in a roaring flare of power, a fire sprang into existence, immediately warming the entire chamber and the temple alike with the healthy glow of the nearly golden flame.

"Our hearth of home," Hestia said gently to the many smiles of the council.

Percy leaned over and gave her a kiss of the cheek before returning his attention to the council proper.

"Back to making the gods feel welcome we need set up a small temple for each god so they don't lose too much power once they renounce their ties to the 'West'," Jason started up again while looking at Percy intently. "Even the minor gods we already have allied to us will need it to safely separate from Olympus, otherwise they will be as defenseless as an Olympian coming here."

"I could handle setting up the smaller temples," Rhea offered, knowing the some of her fellow protogenoi had more pressing matters to attend tomorrow whereas she only needed to be on the mountain and slowly enriching the nature around them.

"Sounds good," Styx spoke up before she glanced to Nico. "And Nico, tomorrow we have our little project to work on."

"Agreed," Nico replied with a firm nod getting several curious looks.

"No rest for the wicked," Thalia sighed getting a playful glare from her tiny cousin before she gave a more predatory grin. "But once everything is set … the hunting begins …"

The others gave agreeing grins as their eyes seemed to glow with power before Percy chuckled drawing attention to himself.

"Oh trust me …" Percy said as his grin broadened while his fangs seemed to grow making him look feral. "… I've already been tracking my target but first … I'm going to need my pack."

* * *

 **So how was that? Yays? Nays? I hope everyone enjoyed and let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	20. Breaking the Status Quo

**Author's Note: Damn! Over 50+ reviews and not all of them on my question about Percy/Andromeda. That was already tallied and decided.**

 **REMEMBER: If I ask for reader opinion, it means I surrender the decision so it has been reader driven and I won't fight the choice. If anyone has a problem with the result; it isn't the focus on the story so don't worry too much, I warn before scenes of intimacy, and lastly, please just try to enjoy the story for what it is. Thank you to all for your input!**

 **Anyways, onwards with the story!**

* * *

She moved with purpose and intent, her nose constantly sifting through any and every scent in her search. Her pack followed close behind, their senses as strained as hers while a slight nervousness took them. Normally any display of weakness was brutally uprooted. They were the hunters, the strong. Unease and heavens forbid, fear, was to be suppressed at all times. However, even she could not keep the chill from her bones as they traversed the night with the new moon still hidden from all. She glanced up, her vibrant yellow eyes searching for the familiar celestial body if only to be assured her longtime friend was watching them.

But it didn't seem that the moon goddess was out with her chariot to guide the moon tonight but then again, she wasn't too sure if her friend would have come help them. The years have been unkind to the goddess and now with the loss of faith in the huntress and subsequent trust in her own pack, their friendly relationship had become strained at best. Nowadays Artemis was rarely kind to any and seemed to almost blame the very world for what has happened to her. She shook her canine head in disappointment, wondering when it was that her friend became so much like her father. A being so dependent on his pride and ego that he'd attack any who would look down on him in any way.

"Lady Lupa _"_ one of her wolves called, breaking her out of her thoughts. "The scent has become stronger."

She sniffed again and noticed that the beta was right. The scent resembling that of wolf mixed with black orchid led them far north just passed the US-Canada border. From the last she'd been able to get the smell at the site of the murder of Phoebe, and later a small divine signature left only a week ago with the kidnapping of Lady Hestia, Lupa had managed to pick up a trail near the Rockies and followed it north. The scent had only reappeared once she entered North Dakota and the divine signature had gotten stronger putting her on edge.

She'd heard from the hunters and gods about this 'Umbra' or whatever it seemed to call itself. She would never admit it even under torture but in her core … she was frightened. This wolf had not only gotten under the nose of Artemis and disappeared without a trace but then reemerged only to take an Olympian before any could stop it. From what the hunters had told her, this wolf was actually smaller than her, being more or less the size of a large horse whereas Lupa herself at full size was closer to that of a dump truck. She was a millennia old goddess with combat abilities honed in the flames of war in both her forms … so then why was there a knot of cold fear in her gut?

Something had changed in the air over a week ago and she could feel it all around her. Her own wolves seemed distracted themselves, as if being called to something else even though they had been born into her pack and sworn to her and yet she could feel their loyalty beginning to sway and worst of all she couldn't tell to what. It had happened before with Lycaon but that wretch of a wolf hadn't been sighted for over a year now. And here they were now getting to the borders of the 'West'. Any farther and she would begin to lose her power until she was little better than a demigod in power.

"Lady Lupa," another, younger wolf called to her. "Something approaches …"

Lupa trained her ears around as her body tensed, soon hearing the sound of something indeed approaching along with the scent and divine power getting closer. She could hear not only brush but even leaves being disturbed as well as feel a small tremble of the ground that just nearly escaped her noticed. Her heart quickened as the sound of trees actually groaning as they were pushed aside drew closer marking the approach of something at least as large as her. But what worried her was that she couldn't hear any footfalls which with something near her size should definitely be apparent.

Her pack was poised at her sides, muscles locked and fangs barred even as their own hearts thundered in their chests. The very air seemed to become chilly as their breath became visible and thin sheets of frost formed on the trees in front of them. Her own ears flattened when she finally saw a figure walking towards them, its shoulders brushing against the _top_ of the trees reaching up to four and five stories each. Then, as if disconnecting from the very shadows of the night, a wolf appeared before her and took her breath away.

The wolf before her had to have the deepest black coat she'd ever seen with some streaks of light blue and underneath she could see the signs of lean and dense muscle. The massive wolf looked at them calmly with eyes looking like two blue orbs of pure ice also containing intelligence and a sense of power making several of her wolves step back in acknowledgement. Darkness and frost seemed to swirl around the wolf as well with the forest behind it looking as if it had gone through winter even as the ground underneath the wolf's paws began to ice over. By the proportions and the subtle undertones of a musky scent around the wolf she could also tell this one was very much _male_ at that causing a whole host of problems.

Truly at times she hated and loved her instincts just like her current form. Thanks to fewer than three goddesses knowing she could actually take a human form along with her oath of chastity made it easy to avoid the cesspool of Olympian debauchery. Her wolf side also made it easy to ignore the few admittedly attractive males, godly and demigod alike, simply because they weren't like her. She was both a wolf and a goddess and as such would not take anything less. Even the male shifters in her pack were seen more as adopted sons or nephews that always fell short of being strong enough to make her even considering them as more than just members of her pack.

But right at this moment her wolf side was practically clawing at her mind to submit but she stomped it down mercilessly with her goddess side. This wolf may be a specimen above any she'd ever seen but if it was _only_ a wolf and quite possibly the Umbra that she was hunting then there was no point in considering him anything other than an enemy. So with that thought she let loose a snarl capable of making gods wet themselves but the wolf didn't even look phased.

If anything he looked amused as he scanned them each with a scrutinizing gaze before locking with hers. As their eyes remained on each other the wolf took one step forward, this time doing nothing to repress the sound and pressure of the footfall causing some of the wolves around her to jump back. Another step was taken and now she had to tilt her head back to look up at the wolf. Their stare off lasted for several minutes before the larger wolf snorted and then surprised her by speaking in a deep voice with a growl undertone making her fur stand on end.

"So … Lady Lupa has graced me with her presence," he said as he stepped back slightly but was still no less imposing as he looked down at her.

It took Lupa a moment to find her voice as she watched the wolf slowly turn to expose its side before he began to circle them making her pack draw in closer to her.

"Who are you?" she asked in a stern tone.

"You know who I am …" he replied in a coy tone making her growl in warning. "Feisty …"

"I'm warning you," she said with narrowed eyes as she turned her body to make sure she was always facing the massive wolf as the forest around them shook with his every step. "Don't play games with me."

"And yet I've been playing this game with you for years," the wolf replied with a chuckle. "And the little huntress has never even come close with the little trails I left her for the fun of it."

"Umbra," Lupa growled as she bared her fangs yet again. "The demon that murdered one of her hunters and took Lady Hestia …"

She was going to say more but that was all silence as the wolf released a growl that froze her in place. Her very bones and the forest alike shook at the strength and ferocity of it, her eyes glued to the gleaming white fangs just barely exposed to her as several of the wolves in her pack whimpered while lowering their heads. Her every instinct was screaming to her, wolf and goddess side alike, saying the same thing. Fight and die or run and live … if she had any hope of escaping that was. She tore her gaze away from the wolf that let go of the partial snarl and took in the sight around her as her body seemed to suddenly shiver from an unknown cold.

As the wolf had walked around them, his every step had left behind some sort of black ice she'd never seen before and that ice was now formed into hundreds of spikes too tall for her pack to jump. Her pack was corralled in now and she doubted she could get a window to try and jump the icy barrier while Umbra was a mere 10 or so meters away and capable of crossing that distance in just a few casual steps.

"What do you want?" she asked after having given up on the thought of escape without a fight.

"Hmm …" Umbra paused in his pacing around them while looking up at the night sky as if looking for an answer. "… That depends," he finally answered as he looked at her again with those icy eyes. "… I want many things, some simple, others not so much. A peaceful future where I could raise a family safely is one but that path crosses past rivers of blood and war. These rivers, if I have my way, will flow with ichor as I rip the Olympians apart."

"Is that why you've taken Hestia!?" she snapped while in her heart she began to worry for Hestia even more.

"Yes," he replied simply before she suddenly snapped and attacked.

Like a runaway train she barreled at the larger wolf, her fangs gleaming as her claws came forward as well … only for her barely register some movement to then suddenly meet the ground in a resounding crash. She felt the pain only a second later on her side as she starred at the broken ground and ice in disbelief. She glanced at the wolf that was now facing her with one paw casually extended, gleaming black claws proudly displayed. It all happened in a split second and only now was it truly sinking in just how outmatched she was. Umbra had turned and swatted her back like a fly and to add insult to injury, he had made sure to hit her with the pads of his paw rather than claws to not kill her outright.

"Quite the temper," Umbra said in a chiding tone a he rested his paw. "But you did not let me finish," he said as he stepped closer as she struggled to her feet while keeping the pressure off her right foreleg. "I took Hestia … but not against her will."

"What?" she asked shakily as she tensed with the wolf's approach, her fear finally starting to show through.

"As I said, Hestia didn't want to be on Olympus any more than you would."

She couldn't help but snort at that comment. She hated the mere thought of being there on a visit, the damn gods always commenting on her form as unseemly for being a goddess. Mostly some of the drunken gods wishing she was human just so there was another ass to chase for them. If she could she would have mauled several of them within days.

"You barely have any love for the other gods yourself," Umbra continued as he looked at her intensely making her shuffle on her feet nervously. "Tell me … why do you even serve them?"

"I …" she paused as she thought up a reason, her eyes furrowing in concentration.

Why did she, truly? She had no love for the Olympians spare for goddesses like Hestia and Artemis. But Hestia was gone and Artemis had distanced herself along with being in a frenzy along with most of the other gods ever since the Hearth of Olympus was extinguished. It had been rekindled but now required constant attention and didn't carry the warmth it once had. As for most of the gods on Olympus, she could do fine without them. Hades, the world could better without their meddling but the only other options were the Titans and Giants, and she knew that would screw over everyone. Still, she was grasping at straws for why to serve them, even though the word _serve_ brought a bitter taste to her mouth. They'd done nothing to earn it other than threaten her when she first helped form the Romans.

She was an attack dog to them and an overseer for the orphanage they dumped their spawn at and gave it a fancy name. At least her Romans proved resilient enough to grow and expand it themselves to form New Rome and barely needed interaction with the Gods. Still, even if she had a soft spot for those demigods, it didn't mean she was happy with the role assigned to her. She was broken out of her thoughts however when Umbra leaned closer before speaking.

"Well …?"

She shook her head before looking back at the large wolf.

"I … I serve to protect New Rome," she said but Umbra merely snorted.

"So you care for the demigods … but not the gods themselves?" Umbra said with a wolf smirk.

"…" She wasn't sure how to reply to that, her ears lowering as Umbra gave a fanged grin.

"They left you with their messes time and time again," Umbra continued as he got closer and started pacing around her, her pack stepping back in fear of the more powerful wolf. "You don't place the blame on the children but at the same time you question why you even try to help the gods." Her heart was racing as only her head turned to keep looking at the black wolf. "In both recent wars you only ever participated to give New Rome a chance but there was no love spared for the Olympians. And you even hide your beauty in fear of what the gods would do to you should they discover it."

"How!?" she gasped as she stepped back as Umbra chuckled.

"Hestia told me," Umbra replied as he stopped before her, his face looming closer to hers. "I know you want more than what your life is now Lupa. You want to run free with your pack, to live in _both_ forms and explore this world. Yet you cannot leave far from the Wolf House if only on occasions of war and then it is only to watch as your pack loses its members while the Olympians remain fattening in their thrones."

"But the demigods …"

"Would be far safer if the Olympians actually tried to care for and protect them. You and Terminus have done more for than your fair share and aren't even thanked for it," Umbra countered. "So why stay if there is another option?"

"… And that would be?" she asked softly, feeling like his eyes had pinned her down to the spot.

"Join us," Umbra said and continued before she could try to reject his offer. "War is coming just over the horizon … but it is against the Olympians themselves. We have no quarrel with the demigods and do not plan on attacking them … however, should they attack us then we will respond in kind."

He then backed up as Lupa looked at him, searching for deceit in his eyes … but found none. However she wouldn't let honeyed words tempt her so easily as she asked, "Then why kill that huntress years ago?"

"I take it you know what those hunters are actually like," Umbra said with a voice drowning in contempt at the word hunters as Lupa nodded, having found the corpses more than once, several of them Roman boys she had personally helped before sending off to the camp. "Then do you really think that hunter didn't have it coming?"

"But what did she do that deserved … that?" she asked recalling the carcass she'd seen only days after the murder since none of the hunters had the stomach to approach their mutilated sister and Artemis having been too distraught to do anything either.

"That hunter helped in the murder of my mother and step-father while also kidnapping my sister," Umbra replied with a bloodthirsty growl nearly making her whimper.

She could see the hate and rage within his eyes as he said that and understood that he would love nothing more than to rip Artemis apart for it. That and the fact that she could see he was being brutally honest filled her with doubt about her distanced friend. However, one question was nagging at her head now more than anything.

"Just … who are you?"

There was silence for some time as she watched the wolf glance away for a moment to control his emotions. Once done he turned back to her and answered, "You already know me Lupa." She was about to answer that she didn't but then was shocked to see shadows consume the wolf for all of five seconds before dispersing to leave a sight she didn't expect in her wildest dreams.

Standing at 6 ft' 4, lean and muscular with a hooded coat made of darkness, black pants and tight shirt, two swords strapped at his hips, and eyes with literal, swirling black flames for irises and glowing icy blue pupils was Perseus Jackson, the 'lost' hero of Olympus. If she had been in her human form she would have pinched herself to wake up but she settled for biting her own tongue. She felt the pain, tasted the ichor, even shook her head again to try and disperse any Mist that may be in effect but no … this was very much real.

"Hey Lupa," he said in a far more familiar but still deepened with maturity voice.

"P-Percy?" she asked as she stepped closer to get a better look and even smell him.

His wild hair was there, the familiar tanned skin, and his scent, though changed from sea breeze to the new black orchid, still held undertones that were undoubtedly … him. It was all there and even his presence felt familiar but just barely. His presence had changed much, like an untold amount of power being held within one condensed point ready to burst. He may be human sized now but she still felt like the smaller of the two.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"A lot Lupa," he said as he tilted his head up to look at her before smiling softly. "But I rather us speak in a more level form."

She understood what he meant and would have refused him but for some reason, she felt the need to change, to do as he wanted of her. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the warmth in his eyes as he looked at her, maybe it was her newfound respect for him after having been bested so easily, or maybe it was the sheer presence and dominance that seemed to radiate off him. Regardless she glowed in a golden light for a few seconds but she noticed that he didn't look away or burn in any way. Once the glow died down she slowly stood as to not lose her balance.

She stood around 5 ft' 7, her hair the same reddish-brown it had been as her fur cascading down her body to her shapely rear. Her olive toned skin shivering slightly in the sudden chill of a breeze that swept over her. Her modesty being kept only by her own hair falling over her modest sized breasts and crotch. She felt some color come to her cheeks when she noticed Percy's eyes giving her entire body a quick scan before returning to her face and had to suppress the urge to try to cover her chest with her arms. Never before had she been self-conscious in the rare occasions she took her human form and was seen by mortals lost in the woods but in front of Percy, she suddenly felt shy.

A little part of her mind cursed for not being as well-endowed as other goddess but she wasn't vain enough to use her divine power or even the Mist to alter her appearance either. Still, she tried to stand tall as Percy got a little closer and looked down at her, his flaming black eyes boring into her pale yellow ones.

"I do believe a reintroduction is in order," Percy said as he waved his hand and the shadows around her formed a thick black cloak warming her up quickly much to her surprise. "Hello, I'm Percy Jackson, Primordial of Night, Shadows, Darkness, and Cold." Her mouth felt unhinged as he said that and judging by his fanged grin he found her face amusing. "Also I'm the king of the new Protogenoi Council and … Lord of Wolves."

Suddenly her instincts fell into place and it made sense. Her pack's behavior, the change she felt coming, and her own reactions to his presence. He was her superior, her alpha, and now a being of power above any god or titan. He was everything she'd wanted, both as a wolf and a goddess. Powerful and fierce yet she could still see that gentleness and care he held for those dear to him within his eyes. It also didn't hurt that both his forms were exemplary specimens that could probably make her—

"Lupa," Percy said snapping a finger in her face to break her out of her thoughts. She gave a blush of embarrassment, both for having to be called to attention and knowing exactly where her thoughts had been headed. "So what do you say?" he asked.

"Umm … can you repeat the question?" she said sheepishly making him sigh even as a small smile tugged at his lips.

"I asked, would you like to join me?" he repeated.

"In your war?" she asked feeling a little uneasy at the thought.

"You don't need to fight if you don't want to," Percy replied reassuringly. "But you can come with me and leave the Olympians for good to choose for yourself what you want to do. You're a wolf and I won't allow one of our own to be enslaved by the gods anymore."

"Really … I can just join?" she asked with a bit of hope coming through in her voice.

"Yes," he replied giving her a warm smile and offering her a hand.

She stared at it for some time, her thoughts racing. Could she do it? To be free from the burden placed on her and turn her back on the gods? New Rome had barely recovered from the loss of Jason but then again, Percy said they wouldn't attack them. Could she be selfish for the first time in millennia and be with … him? She took a shaky breath, her heart racing before she made her decision…

* * *

 **With Nico**

The son of Hades slowly made his way through the extensive tunnels within the mountain, his pace calm as he thought on what had been discussed with the council but a day or so ago. Rhea had been literally humming with her power of Earth and Nature, saturating the air and ground with vitality that already made the local wildlife and forest of the mountain to grow and spread. She'd also been sculpting the sides of the massive mountain, making most of the sides and back facing away from the path into sheer cliffs. Nico felt pity for whatever poor sod would try to sneak into their new home any time in the future. While Rhea was handling that, Phoebe had taken to slowly bringing in some of their new residents and even setting up some temples for them.

Hercules had looked like he'd had the mother of all hangovers while being beaten by an old lady with a stick all night after he was the first to renounce his ties to the 'West', essentially making him a wild god while retaining his strength but not the domain. It mattered little considering what would come soon but he'd looked better that morning with his new temple. Along with Hercules, other gods and titans had been brought in, setting up their temples and taking up residence in the second district. He briefly wondered where Damasen would live considering his size but hey, there was more than enough free space in each district to add new buildings.

As for Thalia, Jason, and Andromeda each were off on their own tasks though Andromeda's may be the more important of those. ' _I hope she doesn't have to deal with too much of a mess,'_ he thought with a slight shake of his head before returning his attention to the tunnels around him. Even now he could see the slight twitches of the darkness around him and feel the hint of cold permeating the air. The ground itself also seemed to hum under his step while the crystals lining the ceiling of the tunnels softly glowed with crystals containing Greek fire. He walked on for another half hour or so, instinctually knowing which path to take as he descended further before arriving to a large cavern.

It was around the size of an airplane hangar with the same crystals intermixed with stalagmites along the ceiling. However, unlike the tunnels, the majority of the cavern's floor was a lake with a dirt path leading up to a plot of land in the center. The waters surround it weren't regular though, oh no, instead the churning green waters gave a nearly angry hiss around him with the emotion of hatred dissipating thickly through the air.

"Like my little lake?" asked a feminine voice drawing Nico's attention.

Nico took in the familiar sight of Styx as she stood near one of the edges of the plot of land, lazily playing with the lethal waters with her foot while looking at him in amusement.

"The hissing sound is interesting," he commented as he walked along the narrow path towards her and being mindful of the waters.

He already knew how painful a bath in those waters was thanks to Percy and felt no need to experience it himself. He soon arrived at her side and waited for her to pay full attention to him, her normally mischievous eyes looking at him with a steely glint to them. It didn't take long for her to remove her foot from the waters and glance back to the edge of the plot of land they stood on.

"So … feeling nervous?" she asked softly as she looked back at him.

"Yes," he said with a faint nod before walking past her. "But there is no helping it, I need a link to the mortal plain before I fully rise to the council."

"But isn't it a little too soon for using your manifestation of power to such an extent?" she asked "I mean, you can create passages leading directly to the fields of Tartarus but you are a lot farther right now."

"That's true considering I've only opened a few doors between two locations in the Pit or from my father's palace in the time I've had it but I really don't have the time to spar at the moment. Just trust me … I can do this," he said while looking at her firmly.

"If you're sure," Styx said with a sigh before moving to stand beside him. "Ready when you are."

He gave her an appreciative node before reaching into his shirt and pulling out his new pendant. The black and purple chains felt warm to the touch as he looked at the ruby held at the end, the jewel glowing with power. He then looked back at the plot of land and focused on his jewel within his hand, the rock humming in response. Sweat started to trickle off his brow as the entire cavern began to shake as the heat rose significantly.

' _Shit, this is harder than I thought it would be,'_ he mentally griped as he grit his teeth and forced more of his power through his pendant. The ground began to steam and crack along the end of the little island. He felt a sharp spark of pain in his head as the drain on his energy grew nearly making him drop to a knee but then he felt Styx place her hand on his shoulder and her power flood into him. He gasped at the rush, both in relief and pain even as the cracks burst as a metal gate began to rise. He momentarily glanced down to the pendant in his hand and noted the slight green tint surrounding the ruby but paid it little mind as he refocused on the rising gate.

For nearly an hour he stood still, Styx feeding him strength as the metal gate rose at an agonizingly slow rate until it finally finished and he did drop to a knee panting. He took a moment to catch his breath before looking at the sight, after glancing at Styx since she gasped at it as well. The gate he'd summoned stood at nearly five meters in height and three across, made of a black brimstone with cracks glowing in purple. He could make out a door nearly the same size of the actual frame with glows of red and purple hidden behind it but what really caught his attention was the very top-center of the door.

There was an ornately carved skull with a crown, the eye sockets glowing an ominous crimson while the crown was alight with Hellfire and judging from the line down the center, it also opened with the gate. He then took in the carvings on the door, depicting all manner of horrors and tortures that Tartarus had personally delivered upon the worst of existence banished to the deepest recesses of his realm. He stood in morbid curiosity at some of the creatures shown on the carvings, recalling some conversations had with Tartarus but never really believing him on some accounts until now. He also noted that with the atmosphere of hate coming from the lake, the gate radiated an ungodly level of bloodlust and malevolence, as if he were standing back in the darkest corners of the Pit for his hellish training again.

He was brought out of his thoughts though when Styx gently nudged him in the shoulder to get him to look at her. Seeing her concerned gaze he asked, "What?"

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked in a worried tone. "You got really drained and you've been staring at the gate for a while."

He paused for a moment to check himself, feeling ready to drop at any moment but he could hold for a little longer. They weren't entirely finished after all.

"Yeah …" he said as he rolled his shoulders, feeling remarkably stiff at the moment. "Let's just wrap this up."

"Okay," she said before the pair looked back at the gate and raised their hands together, aimed at the doors.

They focused their power at the gate together, causing it to be surrounded in auras of purple and green. The waters around them started to boil and churn violently as the heat rose again with the glow in the eyes of the skull brightening. Then the waters seemed to gain a will of its own as tendrils of it raised off the surface of the lake and floated towards the gate. Nico watched in fascination as the tendrils of water roped onto the gate causing it to steam and hiss violently. The entire chamber started to shake then as the lake and gate glowed an intense green making Nico and Styx to squint. Suddenly he felt a tug at his power and control of the gate making him start in alarm. He felt an impending surge of power and with a quick glance at Styx, he noticed her worried look directed to her own lake.

"Run!" he shouted as he lowered his power output, and being taken with the moment, swept up Styx in a princess carry before bolting back down the path.

Even in his tired state it took him only a few seconds to cover over 30 meters and not a moment too soon as he felt the power surrounding them peak. He jumped to the mouth of the tunnel that had led in as an explosion erupted behind them. He landed with a grunt and kept Styx within his arms, his back to the volatile lake and the sound of crashing waves. He felt something strike his back in droplets making him wince at the hot sting but he still made sure to keep Styx out of the spill range. He got struck with more, of what he assumed was water from her lake, before the sound of water churning stopped completely though there was a distinct bubbling sound.

He waited a minute before releasing Styx from his grip, the primordial goddess looking at him in surprise and … something else. He didn't really have the time to ponder what since she looked over his shoulder and gasped, making him turn abruptly only for his jaw to hang open. They remained speechless at what they saw, neither knowing what to say for several minutes.

"N-Nico …" Styx finally managed in an awed voice. "… This isn't a Mist illusion right?"

"No …" he said in equal awe.

"I thought this happening is ridiculously rare though," she replied.

"It happened to Percy …"

"Yeah but your cousin has equal parts shitty luck and luck of the Devil following him around," she refuted.

"No argument there," Nico answered as he observed what used to be a lake of Styx water.

It seemed that with his summoning of his gate and then adding Styx's power to add a binding to the gate, their power had merged into a perfect balance. He, as the heir of Tartarus, had influence in fire, darkness, and earth along with minor control of monsters and such. However, it seemed that the gate being a focal point of his fire and earth had fused to the lake around it and … created something new entirely. What was once a lake of water was now a lake of lava and not only lava but _green_ lava bubbling around the gate. His Pit Gate as he tended to call them had retained the black coloration but now the flames atop the crown were green as well and out of the eye sockets streamed more of the green lava, as if crying. The plot of land had also been submerged all the way to just where they stood, leaving the gate alone within the new molten lake.

"So … what do we call it?" Styx asked as she leaned closer to the edge of the lava.

"Careful," Nico said as he stepped near her while eyeing the lake warily.

He could still feel his connection to the gate but now he also had a faint one with the lake yet it felt a little … incomplete. He tried to focus on the lake and got some feedback but he could tell his control was not absolute. He then watched as Styx raised her hand over the surface and gave a look of concentration. The surface bubbled more before it slowly started to rise beneath her hand but after only getting a few inches out of the lake it dropped back down as Styx released the grip with a tired sigh.

"I'm guessing you don't have full control either?" he asked only to get an annoyed glance. "Just an observation," he added in his defense.

"You weren't doing much better," she whined slightly before looking at him intently.

Without a word she stood and took his hand much to his surprise before she aimed their interlaced hands at the lake and closed her eyes. He felt her will and power flow into the lake, trying to bring it to her control but like him, her influence was incomplete. However, this time he closed his eyes and willed his power to flow with hers, meshing them together. He felt her shiver slightly, from what he wasn't sure, but he ignored it as he felt the entire lake actually beginning to respond. He pulled at the feeling and could hear the lava respond to their collective will.

He then opened his eyes to see several tendrils of the lava flowing around them, steaming in the air. He glanced to Styx to see her watching it all with awe before she abruptly cut her connection, making his waver and causing the streams of lava to fall back into the lake.

"Well … that was interesting," she said offhandedly while glancing down at their still interlaced hands before muttering softly, "It seems we go well together …"

He was about to ask what she meant by that before she suddenly released his hand and said, "See you in the throne room later," and dissipating into green mist leaving him alone in the cavern.

He looked at the spot she had been in for a few minutes before shrugging. ' _Odd … then again, Styx tends to be one of the more interesting of individuals,'_ he mused before looking at the molten lake of green lava again.

"Now what the hell to name this new creation," he muttered with crossed arms, "and it better be something as cool as Voidfire…"

* * *

 **With Andromeda**

Andromeda stood tall and proud as she observed the building around her. White walls and tiled floors, a large reception desk with a pretty secretary, warm smile and all. The buzz of a few office workers and other associates walking in and out around her. She herself stood in the center, catching numerous eyes scanning over her figure. ' _They really are as polite as they're made out to be. Barely any obvious lust,'_ she mused as she playfully winked at a young pair, one man and woman seeming to be going to their lunch break, both having been eyeing her. At her wink both blushed slightly before moving on a little quicker.

' _Ah, interns,'_ she thought with a giggle while looking down at herself. She was currently looking around the age of 35 or so, her hair pulled into a professional pony tail with one bang partially obscuring her left eye. She was wearing a black business coat and matching skirt reaching mid-thigh, dark stockings and red high-heels matching her red button shirt beneath the jacket. With a button or two undone to tease her bountiful cleavage and her attire hugging her every curve in just the right way she was at the center of attention. She internally preened at it but gave only a pleasant smile on the outside, waiting for her appointment.

Her goal was something that had never been done before, in the eons of Greek mythology all the way back to the time of the Titans. The new protogenoi were different and planned to direct the world into a new era and to do that, changes were unavoidable. ' _I just hope everything goes according to plan,'_ she thought as she glanced at a flag held on the far wall. The red and white colors with the maple leaf in the center looking rather simple yet to the point in her opinion. She was brought out of her musings though when she heard the secretary call her name.

"Ms. Jackson, the Prime Minister will see you now …"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: You know, I feel like I just keep setting things up but fear not! Next chapter is the start of the action you want. Violence, revenge, plotting ... and lemons ahead!**

 **Thank you and let me hear your thoughts! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	21. To Break a God

**Author's Note: Ah! Another chapter up and the action underway. Loving the reviews from all of you so keep them coming! The plot thickens and finally things heat up ... and they will continue to do so ;)**

 **PS. The Percy/Andromeda question has been decided. Please, no more reviews on that regard, thanks.**

 **Disclaimer: Only plot is mine.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Two Weeks Later (Mortal Time)**

 **Thwack!**

"And that's a knockout!" screamed an announcer over a cheap speaker system to the roar of the crowd. "… But don't count on seeing him back folks, he might not make it anyways!"

A man watched from his private box, beer in hand, his arm around an escort for the evening. He was dressed in a torn jeans and bicker jacket without a shirt. His broad and scarred chest proudly displayed to match the scars adorning his cheeks and dark shades hiding his blood red eyes. He smirked in amusement as he watched the throngs of people underneath cheer and rage at the caged boxing ring, two men hauling a bloody and broken third by his ankles leaving a trail of blood. The other man, a large blonde with green eyes, raised his arms with a proud bellow. His eyebrow was busted along with his nose and blood dripped down his chest but the crowd loved it.

The man relished in the atmosphere of violence and bloodlust, feeling the energy swell within him. He absolutely loved whatever human it was that thought to make underground fighting rings, the man's own personal playground. Blood and casual death, greedy bastards gambling away thousands, and woman of all sorts to pick up. Now if only he could get something like this back on Olympus … maybe with his goody-goody aunt out of the picture he could try for it? His father would certainly appreciate it. Still, thoughts for later whereas now, it was time for him to have some fun.

"Would our next pair come on down!" the announcer, dressed on a professional tux with his hair greased down and overdone mustache.

He grinned as he smacked the ass of the woman he'd had hanging on his arm, appreciating the healthy jiggle of feminine flesh clearly displayed through the tight green dress that barely even reached passed her ass. The brunette gave him a coy wink as she looked at the crowd below more, a glass of wine in hand, while he left his lofty box. He passed a bouncer that nodded to him before moving aside as he walked down a small flight of stairs to the arena floor. He soon arrived and started to walk through the crowd, the rowdy humans parting before their better making his smirk grow. He reveled in how he towered over most, his clearly visible muscles scaring off any bastard thinking themselves worthy of facing him.

Still, he mused on which poor sap was facing him now. He was feeling like making a drawn out fight, planning on breaking the bastard slowly until he begged for mercy … and then he would kill him. Ah, now that was a grand idea. He stopped with his musing though as he stepped up into the opened gates, the crowd roaring again at his appearance. He raised an arm before shrugging off his jacket but keeping his shades, his wrists wrapped up in white bandages to let him know how bloody he could get.

"You know him, you love him," the announcer started, his free arm gesturing to the man as he rolled his shoulders. "… The undefeated, the bloody … ARES!"

The crowd roared again as Ares gave his most bloodthirsty grin, flexing his arms in preparation for his plaything. He then watched as another gate on the opposite side of the ring open and in stepped his challenge. Ares scuffed at the sight even as the announcer proclaimed the challenger.

"Form parts unknown, even his face being a mystery, the new kid on the block … Shadow!" he shouted to a chorus of boos making Ares grin.

The challenger looked like a young kid, probably not older than his early twenties though decently tall. He wore black cargo shorts reaching his knees, black bandages wrapped around his ankles and wrists with an unzipped hoodie without a shirt. Ares noted a few light scars and lean, steely muscle … not that he was worried or anything. This Shadow's hoodie was missing the sleeves to display his arms and the hood was up, obscuring the kid's face from the cheeks up in darkness. Interestingly enough, Ares could make out pitch black hair with some icy blue highlights but otherwise couldn't tell much more about his opponent.

The boy also seemed to be sizing him up but then gave an oddly familiar snort making Ares grit his teeth. ' _Oh … now the pain is going to double,'_ he thought before glancing behind the kid to see a woman that had come with him. ' _And you brought me a little gift, how sweet,'_ he thought while licking his lips, eyeing the gorgeous ravenette with intense blue eyes in a little black dress with generous amounts of cleavage showing.

"See something you like?" asked Shadow with a small smirk, much to Ares' annoyance.

"Maybe," he said while shrugging and raising his arms in a basic boxing stance, getting ready for the beginning bell. "… Just thinking about how I'll be taking that woman off your hands after this."

"She'd break you in two," Shadow replied while sticking his hands in his pockets.

Before anything else could be said the ring of the bell started, letting both know the fight was underway. Ares smirked as he rushed forward at high human speed, expecting the kid to last no longer than a minute at best, not that Ares would let him go afterwards or show mercy anyways. He closed the distance fairly quickly and lashed out with a right hook, his fist screaming for blood. However, his smirk dropped as Shadow casually sidestepped the fist, his own smirk still present.

Ares readjusted himself, watching the kid intently with both fists primed. ' _Must have been a lucky dodge,'_ he thought before rushing him again. This time he launched a combo; hook, left jab, right swing, left upper but Shadow weaved through it easily. Ares started to grit his teeth in frustration as he tried another but only got the same results.

"Hold still!" he shouted as he tried for a grapple but the fuck just swerved to the side, just an inch out of reach, his smirk growing into a grin.

"So what's with the trashy title name?" he asked.

"What?" Ares paused as he took a step back to plan another attack.

"The title name. Ares, really? Who'd want to be named after that disgrace of a god?" Shadow continued as Ares felt a vein pop.

"What did you say?" he growled as his eyes started to glow behind his shades.

"I said that Ares was a disgrace," Shadow continued while finally taking his hands out of his pockets only to cross his arms. "So called God of War yet always in the shadows of his siblings. Makes me wonder why didn't the Greeks just drop him from their myths. Hell, that drunk of a god is better."

Ares felt his temper break as he charged with an angry roar, now using higher tier demigod strength. Enough to guarantee bones breaking but still keep the trash alive. His fists flew to the point of looking like blurs to regular mortals, his thirst for blood rising and yet Shadow maneuvered in and out of every blow, at times even just escaping by a hair's breath away.

"Ooh, I see," Shadow drawled as he ducked backwards, Ares' haymaker passing harmlessly overhead. "You want his name because you suck at fighting just as bad as him. Great job!"

"Shut up!" Ares shouted, his breathe misting over before him, as he went for a forward kick but Shadow sidestepped it. However, instead of moving away, Shadow suddenly got closer as launched a jab to Ares' gut.

The god smirked at the foolish mortal but his face quickly turned to shock as the blow actually knocked the air out of him and made him stumble back. By now the previous roar of the crowd had turned to stunned silence, seeing the great Ares take a hit and apparent damage for the first time.

"A little flabby there," Shadow commented while taking an odd stance with his palms semi-open and at level with where a boxer would hold his fists.

' _What was that?'_ Ares asked himself, looking at the mortal in confusion.

"Getting cold feet?" Shadow asked with a teasing grin. "Want me to call your mama for you?"

"Your dead!" Ares shouted, his earlier confusion forgotten.

"You're," Shadow quipped as he deflected Ares' fists leisurely, with every second making the god angrier.

Suddenly Shadow stepped into Ares' guard, their faces close enough for Ares to see an icy blue glow within the hood. Before Ares could react Shadow grabbed his arms and kneed Ares in the gut making him spit out. Without hesitation Shadow followed up with a jab into Ares' throat, causing the god to choke up in shock and then a right hook across his cheek sending the god spiraling on the ground.

"Come on Ares," Shadow taunted as he started to slowly circle the recovering god. "There has to be more than this."

Ares grit his teeth as he got up, his body starting to emit a red aura as bloodlust saturated the air. ' _Screw it to Hades! I'm not holding back!'_ Ares thought as he charged like a rabid animal, all semblance of control lost. He charged with reckless fury, his fist glowing a bloody red as it flew at Shadow who had the gall to still smirk at him. Then, with an explosion of pressure, Ares' fist met Shadow's cheek as the war god grinned.

"Ha!" he declared in victory … only to shiver in sudden worry as Shadow started to chuckle of all things even with Ares' fist still planted against his cheek.

"Is that it?" Shadow asked, his eyes glowing with cold hatred in contrast to the dry tone in his voice. "Disappointing."

"Wha-"

Ares didn't get to finish his word as Shadow's fist lashed out and hit Ares straight in the jaws. The god felt his jawbone crack as his entire body was thrown by the hit, his shades spiraling off. He hit the floor twice like a skipped stone before stopping at the link cage around them, his head spinning.

"Come on Ares," Shadow said as he slowly walked forward. "I thought a _major_ god would be able to put up a fight."

That got Ares to look at him in surprise, his blotted crimson eyes widening.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Shadow said while shrugging. "You were so obvious and I made my own title just as cliché but you didn't even catch it."

"Who are you?" Ares asked dangerously as he slowly got to his feet, ichor dripping out of his mouth.

"Shadow … though I prefer the Latin translation," Shadow said with a grin, letting Ares see his fangs for the first time.

It took Ares a moment but then he paled as he whispered, "… Umbra …"

"Bingo!" the now named Umbra chirped with open arms. "Now are we really going to fight? I'm pretty sure the audience won't mind … well, I don't think they'll be minding anything at the moment or ever again."

"What?" Ares asked unsurely as he looked around before he paled further as his eyes widened in disbelief.

Only now did he notice the temperature had dropped drastically during their fight and as for the crowd. He didn't know how it happened but in the time they'd been fighting, every single person had frozen over with black ice covering them. Some were wide eyed while still looking at the fighting ring, others looking at their feet in confusion, but all turned to morbid statues. Then Ares noticed the woman that had been with Shadow before, her hand lazily caressing one man as the ice thickened at her touch, her gaze on Ares with a sinister smirk.

"Lovely isn't it," Umbra commented as he observed as well. "Now I get why Medusa had a thing for her statues other than quick kills." He then turned to look at Ares with a dangerous grin. "Well, one cesspool of human scum cleaned up … you Olympians really left a lot for us to handle."

"W-what are you?" Ares asked, cursing himself for stuttering. "You're no mere demon if you can do this but gods can't interfere with mortals using their power."

"Ho? Look at that, Ares of all people citing the Ancient Laws, how novel," Umbra said with a grin. "True, gods may only attack a mortal personally if; assaulted first or challenged, in opposing sides of a declared war … or they use a natural disaster as an excuse like your daddy using freak lightning strikes at his convenience. Funny thing is my dear Lamia," Umbra said while gesturing to the ravenette. "Though immortal herself, does not rule a domain and therefore is not strictly speaking, a god. She, being my vassal, can freely interact with mortals for me. I merely cooled the atmosphere. The new décor is all her."

Shadow then looked directly at Ares, his fanged grin glinting as his eyes glowed even brighter from underneath his hood.

"Now then … I do believe we have a fight to get underway."

With that Umbra rushed forward and Ares barely had any time to raise his arms in defense. He felt a fist hammer into his arms, his bones cracking and screaming in protest at the assault as Ares grit his teeth. There wasn't a second's delay before another fist wove under his guard into Ares' body, right over the kidneys. Ares gasped in pain as another fist followed up on the same spot, this time hard enough to indent the god's flesh, leaving a fist impression and partially lift him off the ring floor. Ares staggered back, coughing up ichor as his side burned while he looked at Umbra with hatred but his glare was matched by those icy blue eyes wreathed in shadows.

"Come on war god," Umbra taunted as he resumed his assault. "At least entertain me!"

Ares roared in outrage while throwing a wild cross but Umbra moved with it, his head tilted to the side just enough for his fist to miss the hood. Without delay Umbra closed in and hit Ares' chin with a rising elbow, the sound of teeth grinding and fracturing ringing clearly in their ears. Suddenly Ares felt a vice like grip around his throat before he was lifted off the ground. The next thing he feels is his head being slammed down into the ring floor hard enough to make the steel supports underneath groan in protest. Then he was tossed across the ring, impacting the cage that added a whole new sensation of burning pain.

Ares cried out as he fell to the floor, his back still stinging making him look back at the cage in confusion only to have a new sense of fear wash over him. The entire cage looked like it had been frozen over with that strange black ice. He looked further over his shoulder and could see that impression of the links in streaks of black and light blues.

"Instant Frostbite, curtesy of Voidice," Umbra commented as he slowly walked closer. "… and a little cold isn't your only worry either … little war god, after all …"

Whatever else Umbra was about to say Ares ignored as a sudden sense of panic took him. He tried to flash away, a little part of him realizing that he was outgunned alone and he needed back up, even though he would never admit it. His body flashed golden several times but still he remained, his panic growing as cold realization set in. Umbra's dark chuckle brought got his attention again as the demon grinned at him.

"You're not going anywhere Ares. You're just a caged animal now just like dear old mommy was when Jason saved her ass," he said as he suddenly rushed forward and in the blink of an eye had his hand around Ares' throat, causally lifting him up to eye level. For the first time Ares could clearly see Umbra's eyes, still shrouded in shadows to hid his face, the twin orbs of swirling black flames and icy pupils boring into the god. "… and this time, no one is coming to rescue you."

Ares didn't get to utter a word as Umbra slugged him in the face, breaking the god's nose. Then another and another. Umbra didn't make a sound, his eyes unblinking, as his left fist pummeled into Ares' face, ichor splattering around them. Ares tried to protest, to escape, to do something, but he couldn't. Umbra's grip was unbreakable, his wild kicks and punches that managed to land against Umbra's body were shrugged off as minor annoyances, at most getting an irritated grunt out of the demon. And all the while , with every hit Ares felt as if a deep and unending cold was setting in, chilling the ichor in his veins and clenching at his heart.

However, it only got worse when Umbra dropped him at his feet and then pulled Ares' arm back. Before Ares could even utter a sound, Umbra violently jerked it, a sickening pop and the god's scream of pain signaling the now dislocated arm.

"Decent warm up," Umbra muttered before he continue, unbothered by every whimper of pain and plea for mercy between the howls of agony as Umbra systematically broke Ares' bones down to the fingers in his right side.

Then, apparently dissatisfied, Umbra tossed him aside again, the war god falling limp with his entire chest and face coated in ichor, his arms broken beyond use and several of his ribs crushed. Ares gave a week groan of pain but it turned into a scream when he felt a foot slam down on the back of his knee, crushing the bone into fine powder. Once the foot left Ares heard Umbra sigh in disappointment. Ares managed to lift his head enough to look up as Umbra moved to stand before him, looking down at him condescendingly.

"This is lacking," Umbra commented as he crouched down to look at Ares better. "I could break every bone in your body, skin you alive, castrate you and so much more … but in the end it just isn't enough. I've spoken with many ghosts and heard the horror stories of some of the things you've done. No amount of simple physical pain will ever make that up … but I don't want you to fade just yet either."

Umbra then paused as he tapped his chin before a grin that froze Ares' blood appeared on the demon's face. The frozen gaze of his eyes, the ruthless expression, and the cruel fangs glinting all made this Umbra the manifestation of the god's fears … and he couldn't so much as lift a finger to stop him even as Umbra continued to speak.

"But then again I'd already planned what to do with you," Umbra said as he grabbed Ares' chin and jerked his head a little higher. "The body can heal, especially in the case of gods, but your mind is another matter."

"Are we leaving, master?" Lamia asked as she suddenly walked up beside Umbra.

"Is everything ready?" Umbra asked as he stood up, grabbing Ares' neck again and causally dragging him up.

"Yes, Lady Rhea already contacted me. She will crush this entire structure once we are gone," Lamia replied.

"Very well," Umbra said before shadows suddenly surrounded them and whisked them away…

* * *

They suddenly appeared within a dark, stone room with only a few torches with Greek fire illuminating them. Ares' head was spinning in mixes of pain and the sudden disorientation from the shadow travel but he noticed enough to realize he'd been chained to the floor by his ankles and wrists. However the chains were long enough to allow him to move around somewhat … if he could bare the pain. He weakly sat up as he looked at his chains, noting they were Stygian Iron.

"Well Ares," Umbra said as Ares turned his attention to him. "This is where I leave you, I'll be back in about a month, top side anyways so for you, nearly half a year. But don't worry, you'll see my lovely face again, however, for now you are in the care of this fine gentleman," he said as he gestured to a behemoth of a man wearing a dark cloak, hood and all, with two glowing crimson eyes within the darkness.

"Who are you?" Ares asked weakly, unable to suppress a shiver of fear while being in the man's presence.

"Tartarus," was the straight reply but that was already enough to send Ares into a panic attack.

"Be seeing yah," Umbra said before turning, and with Lamia, dissolving onto shadows again.

There was a silence as Ares the turned his attention to Tartarus, the eldest primordial looking at him curiously. Then, he silently moved to a far wall of the room where a large chair and small table appeared, a wine bottle and glass waiting for the primordial as well. Once Tartarus was situated, having poured himself a glass and leisurely stirring his drink, he spoke.

"I must say Ares, you truly drew the short end. The council and several others discussed consistently on who they wanted to use as the instigator for their war. Others wanted it to be Apollo but then again, his death won't be quick by any means once the others get their hands on him. Still …" Tartarus paused as he looked directly at the war god. "… Your fate truly does validate the statement, 'there are worse things than death'. Let's test just how much worse they can be."

With that Tartarus snapped his fingers and five new people appear. Once clearly had the aura of a god, with mocha skin and an aristocratic face dressed in a pitch black suite, shades, and pitch black hair tied into a low ponytail reaching past the shoulders. The god was looking at a portfolio in his hands, casually thumbing through the pages with occasional grunts and hums. Behind him were four … things. They looked like men, each standing at over eight feet, with black and grey skin, lacerations bleeding some black substance, their eyes being solidly black, crooked fangs showing through their chapped lips, and only dressed in loincloths.

"Ares, God of War, son of Zeus and Hera," the other god droned on in a bored manner. "Chronic murderer, rapist, liar, and arsonist ever since the Great Fire of London, 1666. Too many crimes for me to bother counting and naming."

"I may have to read that file, it sounds interesting," Tartarus commented getting a shrug from the other god. Tartarus then returned his attention to Ares. "For introductions, this is Ikelos, son of Nyx and Erebus, God of Nightmares."

As Tartarus said that Ikelos walked forward with a vial of pink liquid in his hands. Before Ares could say anything, Ikelos uncorked it and forced the liquid into Ares' mouth and held his mouth shut until he swallowed it.

"That's part of the punishment," Ikelos stated casually as Ares felt his entire body burn and itch.

He convulsed as he felt his bones break and rearrange, his mass decreasing and becoming slimmer as his hair grew. Ares then felt a swelling on his chest so he looked down only to gawk as his chest grew until he had breasts. He-she, then noted the distinct absence of an organ between her legs.

"Well, it seems that Hecate's potions really are all that," Ikelos commented while analyzing Ares' transformation. "Now then, to business," he continued as he went and sat in a new chair besides Tartarus, still leafing through the portfolio in his hands.

"You there," Tartarus said as he pointed at the biggest of the monsters they'd brought. "You begin," he commanded getting a sick grin sending a spark of revulsion and horror through Ares.

"You can't do this!" she cried to them, tears of rage and panic dripping down her cheeks.

"I wonder how many of your victims have cried the same thing. Oh well, you should have seen what we did to Stalin," Ikelos muttered as he flipped another page before he looked to Ares. "But this is your first punishment. I will take every memory of rape you cherish and turn it into a nightmare … where you will live it through the eyes of your victim. Oh! And your transformation will only last about a month … though the same can't be said about the punishment." He then adjusted his shades and looked to the monsters. "… Gents, if you please."

Ares then turned her head back to the monster as it approached, gazing at her hungrily in the same way she had some many times in the past to her targets.

"No …" she muttered in terror. "No … please …"

The thing kept approaching.

"NOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 **With Percy**

Percy formed out of shadows in the throne room of Mount Cartier, named as such to acknowledge their Canadian residence. He sighed as he rolled his shoulders, his hoodie falling back as his hair spilled free while Lamia looked at him curiously.

"Something on your mind?" Percy asked her as he glanced around the otherwise empty room.

"I was just wondering why you went so light on Ares is all?" she asked with a hand on her hip.

Percy shrugged as he looked away for a moment before answering, "I don't know. I've been thinking about all sorts of things I'd do to him but in the end … I guess I sort of pity the useless fool." Seeing as Lamia was still looking at him intently he explained further. "Of all the gods, Ares was the closest to an animal. He just did what he desired which was either killing or fucking, he didn't have anything else so what could I do? I busted his ego when I was 12 and he mostly stayed out of my way after that. He was tolerable as Mars but then again, to hurt him in that form would be going after the Romans – something we don't want to do. And hurting his body could only go so far. I guess in the end I just felt he really wasn't worth my time."

"And Tartarus was oh so gracious to handle his torture instead," Lamia said with a small but dark smirk.

"Makes me wonder what he had planned," Percy muttered but then thought better of it. Tartarus had _eons_ of practicing the fine art of torture and breaking one's mind, and undoubtedly Percy was better off not knowing.

Lamia gave a hum of curiosity too but didn't press further as she looked at a small watch she hand on her wrist and gasped, "Oh, I'm going to be late!"

"Orphanage?" Percy called after her as she rushed off … forgetting she could just shadow travel there.

"Yes!" was the echoed reply before she was gone while Percy had a small smile.

In the three weeks that their city had been unveiled, a whole host of new life had been brought to it. Many of the released titans, nature spirits, and minor gods had taken residence, bringing with them their skills and newly instated domains. For each arrival, divine or otherwise, an oath of citizenship was given to Styx on their domains and immortality rather than an oath of loyalty, to safeguard their new home as decreed. With their oaths, each deity then went to Phoebe and, in her presence, rejected their ties to the 'West' only to be given new domains by Phoebe, ones not dependent on ancient territories like the Olympians.

However, unlike Olympus or Mount Othrys for the titans before, their city was not limited to only mythical beings, as proved by Leto's Orphanage. Being a goddess of Motherhood and seeing the rampant need of children, both regular and demigod, Leto had asked the council to help her form an orphanage where she works as the head matron. They gladly approved and within the week one was built close to the now flourishing market of the second district. In another week over 30+ children had been brought through the assistance of some minor gods and the protogenoi themselves, some of them even young and forgotten demigods of the Olympians. He chuckled at the thought of Chiron freaking out when the number of demigods making it to the camp started to fall.

"What's so funny?" He broke out of his musings to look at his sister having just arrived in puff of lavender smoke, her eyebrow raised in question.

"Nothing," he said easily with a teasing smile as Andy huffed before she gave him a concerned look.

"So … did you catch Ares?" she asked softly as she approached him.

Percy gave her an understanding smile, knowing what was worrying her. Even after all was said and done, Andromeda didn't want him to be part of the torturing. Being so connected to emotions, she was one of the few that knew to what extant his hatred for the Olympians went … and how dangerous it would be to let those emotions control him.

"Yes but don't worry …" he said softly as he stepped a little closer until they were inches apart, his hand tenderly cupping her cheek. "… I gave him his due but I'm not doing the torturing."

"Good," she said softly while leaning into his touch contently. They remained like that for a little bit, simply enjoying the rare moments that they had to themselves.

However he knew there was more to do so he let his hand drop and gave her an apologizing look before he turned towards his throne. As he started walking towards it and grew to his godly height while his clothes shifted to his usual black jeans, shirt, leather boots, and coat of darkness with his wings springing out of his back. Andromeda followed his example, her previous business attire changing to her skirt, long-sleeved shirt, thigh-high boots, and corset combo. Once seated Percy felt the feedback of his domain along with a surge of energy as usual, his mind quickly sorting through all the information.

Most of it was simply on what was happening anywhere currently in night time or winter, with bits about the world's wolves. ' _Hmm … wolf packs in northern parts of Norway seem to be thinning out. Might have to check into that,'_ he thought before focusing back on the throne room as he felt a familiar presence approaching. He looked to the entrance to the throne room as a wolf trotted in through the large archway. She was a beautiful specimen with pitch black fur much like his own but instead of icy blue streaks, she had deep crimson streaks running down the length of her back and at her sides. Her yellow-silver eyes glinted with intelligence as power on par with an Olympian rolled off her.

As she trotted over and once out from under the archway, the she-wolf grew with every step. Soon her shoulders were almost at three stories in height, her sleek and toned body moving with grace even at the casual nature of her walk. The she-wolf then stopped before him, dipped her head in respect, and then sat beside his legs to his left. Her ears were trained up, form set, and on guard even as he gave a slight chuckle.

"Lupa, I've told you before. You don't need to act like my guard all the time."

Lupa turned her canine head back at him, a mock glare in place before she said, "I'm one of your three _Shadows_ now and as such, one of us should always be close."

' _Like you three can't instantly jump to wherever I am,'_ he mused before saying, "Still, you don't need to be on guard and you are also a goddess. You have a seat in these chambers just like any other god in attendance," he said, gesturing to the rows of seats layered up before them. They'd re-arranged the thrones from being in a U to a half circle while facing the new seats for easier meetings.

Really, her demeanor had Percy quite curious. He offered her freedom and she took it after some reservation, even going as far as willingly becoming one of his _Shadows_ after he made the offer a few days later. The odd part was that she wasn't initially this uptight about being around him … though he did note that she had a private conversation with Medusa and Lamia beforehand … wonder what that was about?

"Lupa, relax," he sighed noting the conflicted look in her eyes as she glanced at the seats further down. He then chuckled slightly and leaned forward to scratch behind on of Lupa's ears.

The goddess gave him a warning growl but he knew there was next to no heat to it. If anything, she only growled since Andromeda was there, otherwise Lupa would have happily obliged to a good scratching. He would know considering he loves getting scratched in his wolf form as well. His sister in fact was giggling slightly while watching on, having probably finished sorting through her domain already.

Percy kept scratching Lupa for a few more minutes before she finally gave up being all tense and allowed herself the enjoyment of his ministrations before she slumped down and laid at his feet, one of her eyes still open to keep a watch. Percy grinned at that but didn't try to tease her further as he felt the other protogenoi approaching. Each appeared in their preferred methods of teleportation, some a little showy. Once everyone was seated and finished their initial domain checks, he cleared his throat to get attention.

"Alright everyone," he started firmly. "Who would like to begin with their reports?"

Styx raised her hand first so Percy nodded, giving her the floor. "I've finished with the revision of all oaths within my office. Any oath taken before my ascension has been updated and strengthened."

That got a grim smile out of the council, all knowing now what that meant. Before, Styx's oaths were rather straightforward and once broken, voided. She also hadn't been able to drag gods to her river since she'd lacked the power and didn't have a link to the mortal world but now it was different with her lava lake within the mountain. Now she could review any oath, the terms for which it would be void, and give the punishment she deemed fitting rather than destroyed souls for mortals and physical pain or loss of power for gods.

"So any particular oath you've redeemed?" Nico asked getting a dark grin from Styx.

"The Oath of the Big Three concerning heroes," she answered getting curious looks from the rest. "They swore to never have an affair with a mortal woman again. With the use of _never_ , it would mean that it can happen repeatedly and therefore the oath remains in place even after each of you," she said gesturing to the once demigods present, "So, I decided to focus on the intent; no more demigods from them. Originally I considered having any current demigods on the way have their souls attacked by my waters and be still-born." She raised her hands to the shocked gasps she got from several of them. "Relax, I won't since that's punishing the mortal mothers too so, instead, from now on, any time they try to bed a mortal, their genitals will feel like they're being dipped in my waters."

That got a wince of ghost pain from Percy and a hiss of fear from Jason and Nico as both crossed their legs while Styx grinned at them maliciously before continuing, "So, no more happy times behind their wives' backs … with mortals at least."

"And you're going to preside over marriages in the city from now on?" Thalia asked with clear amusement in her eyes.

"Yep, I even have the legal certificate to do it!" Styx chirped happily, her clothes suddenly shifting into that of a minister.

"I think you just ended the possibility of affairs for those couples," Phoebe chuckled along with the others.

Some more chuckling insured for a minute or two before Percy cleared his throat again to get everyone settled.

"Next?"

"Oh!" Andromeda squeaked while raising her hand like a giant child.

Percy grinned before nodding to her. She squealed a bit as she snapped her fingers and suddenly everyone had some sort of clothing with Canadian flag on it.

"We're officially Canadian!" she cheered happily as an oversized flag suddenly appeared over the entrance to the throne room much to their amusement.

"Frank will cry when he hears this," Jason commented while looking at his new shirt.

"Okay, on that note," Nico said, desperately trying to keep a grin off his face even while wearing a white shirt with a red happy face on it. "How did it go?"

Andromeda reigned herself in with a slightly embarrassed blush before answering, "We are officially recognized by the Canadian government. Both the Prime Minster and Governor General along with the Senate have already taken oaths on Styx to secrecy until we tell them otherwise and the first protocols to begin the re-introduction of the mortal and mythical world is underway."

"What of the Queen?" Rhea asked next.

"Meeting her in two weeks," Andromeda answered easily.

"Excellent," Percy added getting a radiant smile from Andy before calling next which was Thalia.

"Boreas is firmly with us but I haven't gotten ahold of Aelous or the other cardinal winds yet … little bastards move around too much," she muttered a bit at the end to a round of snickers in her expense. "Anyway, he should be visiting in a few days to swear to us and all that."

Percy nodded to that and looked to Jason next, who caught it and began, "Well, you all know we already have Eos and Theia here but Selene and Helios are proving tricky to find. But I've got a trail on Selene leading to Italy."

"Think you might need help tracking her down?" Percy asked. "She'll naturally have a stronger aura at night and I have wolves to spare."

Jason tapped his chin for a moment before looking back at Percy.

"That would probably do. Just one to track the scent will do and I only need to get her location, afterwards I can approach her myself."

"Okay," Percy said as he looked around for silence, knowing that those were the current 'missions' underway. So, he went and explained his capture of Ares, getting some very amused grins from his fellow protogenoi. Rhea then picked up on her part of the disposal.

"The underground facility has already been swallowed and the space replaced with solid stone and dirt native to the area. As for everything in that facility, it will be decomposed and redistributed," she explained, referencing one of her new creations.

Being gods, they could use their will and power to create life much like Poseidon forming horses from sea-foam. However, being primordial gods, the level of power and complexity for creation was several magnitudes more. Rhea had taken her time to form little Earth elves (that's what Percy called them anyways) made of sentient minerals with a special power allowing them to break down any material and restore it to the earth. Metals, plastic, fossil fuels, organic substances, any at all they could break down given time. Rhea had created them shortly after taking her seat when she'd felt the state of the Earth.

To Percy she'd described it as nails piercing her skull for every oil rig with the oil like hemlock slowly being spilled into her veins. And that had only been in the case of oil rigs, he didn't even want to know what other mining, especially through the use of explosives, felt like along with the current state of nature. Damn miracle that Rhea wasn't intent on destroying mortal civilization like her mother before but instead focused on getting cleaned up.

As a matter of fact, several protogenoi were in the midst of creating new life for this very purpose to safeguard their domains. Percy already had his Wraith Wolves thanks to assimilating Lupa's pack and having them swear to him. He'd added more local wolves and through his blessing, had formed a pack of some fifty or so wolves, each the size of rhinos with partial immortality, shifting, natural shadow traveling, and 'The Freezing Bite' as he named it thanks to the addition of Cold to his domains. The same way venom needed to be cleansed from the blood to save a life, if bitten by his wolves you'd better fine a source of warmth or be ready to self-amputate.

Afterwards he'd separated the pack to groups of threes and fives to monitor any major area of wilderness high with wolf activity. Now he was actually in the works thinking of a way to create a new wolf capable of protecting the Artic and Antarctic yet kept running into the problem of what they would eat. ' _The little penguins won't make it otherwise,'_ he mused before realizing everyone was waiting for him while he went off a serious tangent.

Having the decency to blush slightly he cough a bit before continuing on, "Alright, so in a month's time we'll send our official declaration of war against the Olympians."

"Are we sending it to Olympus or one of the camps?" Styx asked.

"I don't think sending it to the camps will grant us any favors," Hestia commented, getting everyone's attention, the glow of the hearth reflecting in the scarlet of her eyes. "It might be a good intimidation factor and seriously shake the moral of their heroes but in the end it will make us out to be the monsters. They won't think we would be genuine about offers of sanctuary and neutrality if they think we'll do to them what's being done to Ares."

"What is being done to him anyways?" Thalia asked before everyone turned their attention to Nico.

"You don't want to know," he said in a dark voice, driving the message home.

"Oookay," Hestia continued on, "So no, not to the camps. However, getting Ares to die before their council will shake them up more and we could have it 'leaked' to the camps that Ares died. That will sow seeds of doubt and fear which can then be used to drive the demigods away from fighting, especially if they hear rumors of a safe place. Once here they could hear us out and then decide for themselves."

"How manipulative … I like it," Rhea commented with a wink.

"Well I do believe we all can agree with our Queen," Jason said with a smirk at Hestia's shy blush due to her title. "So while waiting anything specific we want to get done aside from tracking down more gods willing to leave the 'West'?"

"I have something in mind," a new voice said surprising the council.

They looked to the center near the hearth as a blinding flash followed. Once it died down it revealed a teenager being as large as them. He had choppy brown hair combed back slightly, a loose white polo with an open grey sports blazer over it, dark grey slacks and black dress shoes. On his wrist was a solid gold Rolex and his fingers had numerous rings with different time dials. His equally gold eyes looked at them all with a mix of mischief and amusement.

"Uncle Cronus," Percy welcomed while standing and giving a polite bow to the elder primordial, the others not far behind him. "What can we do for you?"

"For me? Oh you're too kind but no, today is not about me," Cronus said with a dismissive wave before smirking at them. "I'm here for all of you."

"And what would that be, my lord?" asked Jason with Nico currently standing on his shoulder.

"Why, to show you all your very own House of Primordials!"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Oh yes, Ares got what was coming! More to follow but in time. Hope everyone enjoyed and let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	22. King and Queens

**Author's Note: Yo everyone! Slightly late update, I am SORRY! I was working late and passed out within minutes of getting home. Hopefully this chapter will appease you all.**

 **Disclaimer: I own the plot**

 **Warning: I have the scenes labeled, so no complaints on what might be found such as in lemons.**

* * *

"… House of Primordials?" Percy asked after several minutes of silence much to Cronus' amusement.

"Yep," he replied with a smirk. "Think of it as a 'Welcome to the Club' gift from dear old mom." The room suddenly darkened as everyone felt a shiver run down their spines while Cronus got panicky as he looked up. "I mean, dear, beautiful and not-at-all-old mom!" he corrected and then the oppressive atmosphere disappeared much to the council's relief.

Cronus still looked a little skittish but relaxed after a bit as he checked his watch before returning his attention to them. "So, are we going up or what?"

Percy glanced around to the others, getting mostly curious faces and excited nods so he added his own.

"Excellent! Then everyone come up and put a hand on me. Once I've flashed you there, you'll be able to travel freely to and from," Cronus instructed to which they followed.

Once everyone had some form of contact with Cronus and Percy gave a quick glance to the silent Lupa, Cronus flashed away with them. It took a few seconds before Percy felt sudden ground beneath his feet before he started to look around and gasped along with everyone else.

To put it in short, the House of Primordials was on a small island however … the crucial part was that it was a floating island in _space!_ Percy marveled as he looked over the edge of a platform they'd landed on to see the entire western hemisphere below them. Tearing his gaze from the sight of the planet, Percy looked across the horizon, spotting the actual moon itself and the sun across from it. He squinted slightly at the direct line of sight, feeling only mild discomfort but otherwise fine with the exposure. He then turned around to marvel at their island and their home on it.

Rather than some palace or temple, their home looked far more like a massive villa formed to the natural terrain of the island, at most being two floors. It was made of marble, with a large set of stairs leading up from the platform they'd arrived on to the villa entrance. Surrounding the villa and covering the island was a literally silvery foliage, much like the garden he'd formed with Nyx for the House of Night. The grass and small bushes seemed to be made of solid silver and white light, fluttering in a non-existent wind and giving off a gentle glow. The entire island seemed to glow in fact and unless looking at the sun directly, it almost felt like the island was in a perpetual twilight.

"Well," Cronus started with far too much amusement in his voice, "Unless you all plan to gawk away for the rest of the evening, let's head inside."

No one said anything as they followed almost numbly, Percy just barely registering that they were mortal size again considering that Nico wasn't on Jason's shoulder anymore.

"Mind you, only a primordial can teleport here. Regular gods can't even if they've been brought here before. Think of it as a privacy and security feature," Cronus added offhandedly as they walked.

After the small flight of stairs they entered a large foyer though a grand archway and he could see the living room beyond. Taking a few minutes before everyone got an eyeful, Cronus walked on, talking all the while.

"So this will be your official home and don't worry, similar spirits to the ones in the Palace of the Sky will tend to it. That way is a large dining room and kitchen separated by a half wall," he said while pointing to said room with a high ceiling and sun roof allowing for them to see the unending expanse of space. "White Oak and Redwood for most of the furniture, solid moonlight silverware and pottery with a fully stocked kitchen for those of you who cook," he continued on with a wink directed to Rhea and Hestia.

They arrived to the living room and took it in, noting for the first time an entire wall was glass with a patio and pool of all things, an artificial waterfall creating a gentle sound of running water. It took all of three seconds for Thalia to take to one of the rather nice couches and look around as the others spread out. Cronus kept droning on about their villa and some of the facilities, like a personal gym (sparring ring included), garage for little projects that possibly weren't safe for Earth until finished, and so forth.

Percy just took it all in as he walked out to the patio and looked out at the world. ' _It looks so … small now. Is this really all there is to us, with one little world, or is there more out there?'_ he wondered as his eyes shifted to the stars beyond. Sometimes when he looked up at the night skies he felt like there truly was. His domains of Darkness, Shadows, and Cold were distinct to Night, a domain dependent in a way to the motion of celestial bodies. But his other domains had no such restriction and at times he felt like he had far more input than he should. Even now he could spot the moon far off to the horizon and without being able to see beyond it, he knew what the dark part looked like. ' _I wonder … could I?'_ His thought about possibly asking Cronus if he knew but his ideas were derailed when a pair of slender arms wrapped around his arms from behind.

"Hey handsome," came a sultry whisper right next to his ear making him shudder as he glanced to see the beautiful face of Rhea. The look in her eyes was one that he recognized well and a part of him was tempted to act on it right there, not caring about the audience.

Her knowing grin was all he needed to know she was purposely riling him up before she continued to whisper. "Tonight, I'll be waiting in our new room … after all, that new bed needs to be broken in." She then gave his ear a nibble and ran off like the little minx she was before he could do anything about it.

He couldn't get stop grinning in anticipation though.

* * *

Percy was resting against the headboard of his new bed, still taking in the sight. His, Rhea, and Hestia's room was on the second floor and across from Jason's, with Thalia and Andromeda to the sides. Much like in the House of Night the walls were rare black marble, smoothed and polished till they sparkled, with equally dark tiles. However the walls also had carvings marked with ruby and emerald, depicting forests and small fires with tiny bulbs of solid light mirroring his favored constellations. In all it felt as if he was actually out at night, a warm fire near and the beauty of a clear night. How he relished in it and knew Rhea and Hestia had loved it just as much. He was dressed in little more than boxers while resting on the satin sheets, his gaze locked on the closed bathroom door.

Once he'd arrived Rhea had called to him from the other side, telling him to relax on the bed and leaving him to his thoughts. He frowned slightly when he thought of Hestia though while also wondering where she was. To not make her uncomfortable Rhea and Percy had held themselves back from going further than making out and heavy petting while in her presence since that was all Hestia had shown to be comfortable with in participating herself. At times he and Rhea would have some oral whenever there was free time and Hestia's wasn't around as to not make her uncomfortable. Now though he didn't think she had anything pressing to do but she wasn't here. His thoughts on her location though were thrown out the moment the bathroom door opened and his higher brain functions stopped.

There, leaning against the doorway, was Rhea dressing a black and red, lacy corset that pushed her breasts together to the point Percy wondered if they would pop out. Accompanying the corset was a bright red thong that tied at the sides and garter belt attached to dark stocking reaching mid-thigh. Lastly were the little red pair of devil horns she'd probably used her power to form peeking out from her rich brown hair freely spilling over her shoulders, her hazel-gold eyes looking at him like a fine cut of meat. He took in her every supple curve and inch of exquisitely exposed skin, relishing in the slightly silvery blush adorning her cheeks as he eyed her.

"Oh dear," Rhea said in a throaty voice making him growl much to her enjoyment, "It seems the beast is barely holding back … and to think this isn't all …"

Percy didn't catch her meaning initially, his mind more focused on getting her to the bed. However nearly all mental facilities left him when Rhea was joined in the doorway, his eyes widening and jaw dropping at the sight of Hestia.

Unlike Rhea, Hestia had a shy smile and large blush as she tapped her fingers together adorably. She was dressed in a white, lacy and all but transparent nightgown that didn't pass her belly button, white booty shorts with the same type of garter belt as Rhea and white stockings. However, unlike Rhea, Hestia had a little golden halo hovering above her head. Next to Rhea, the pair pulled the perfect angel/devil pair.

Hestia hesitantly locked eyes with him, silently asking his thoughts on her appearance with Rhea smirking beside her. Then, ever so gently but with an oh-so delectable sway to her hips, Rhea led Hestia to the edge of the bed until both had a knee on the bed. Only then did Hestia speak softly, "W-what … do you think?"

Percy didn't say anything, instead slowly crawling towards the edge like a wolf, a part of him taking delight in the slight squirming both goddess did under his intense gaze. Once he was in front of both he took one of their hands kissed the back of their knuckles without looking away from their faces before speaking.

"You both look absolutely stunning," he said in a warm tone with an underlying growl, his self-control waning by the minute.

"Really?" both asked in soft voices, their blushes increasing with their big eyes drawing him into them.

He gently cupped their cheeks as he leaned and said, "Really. My loves, me perfect queens …" He then leaned closer until his head was between theirs and huskily whispered in their ears, "… And I'm going to show you both how much _my_ queens mean to me."

He relished in how both shivered in anticipation, their scents of arousal starting to permeate the air as he wrapped an arm around each …

* * *

 **LEMON**

* * *

He claimed Rhea's lips quickly, her lips parting as her tongue darted out to meet his in their passionate embrace. She fought back long and hard, at times dominating the exchange as he pulled her body flushed against his, her arms securing his neck. All the while he could feel feather light kisses on his own neck and collarbone coming from Hestia. His hand around her lowered until it reached her plump rear, giving the tender flesh a squeeze of appreciation and was rewarded with the smallest moan to escape the lady of dragons.

After several minutes Percy ended his kiss with Rhea, leaving the goddess with a flushed face and slightly swollen lips, before he turned to Hestia and did the same. As always she began far gentler, being one to enjoy the slower moments and light touch as opposed to Rhea's more hungry contact. Soon he started to get a little more aggressive as he took charge of the kiss, adding soft nibbles to Hestia's lips and receiving sweet whimpers in reply. All the while he felt Rhea escape his arm only for her to shift to his back, teasingly kissing along his shoulder and neck while her arms went under his to caress his chest.

After he felt he'd effectively left Hestia without breathe, he backed up to look at her face. The slightly dazed expression, the silvery blush, the harder breathing; it all made her that much more beautiful in his eyes. He would have just stayed there to admire her but Rhea broke him out of that reverie, her honeyed voice whispering in his ear, "My-my, are you just going to look? Or are you going to give her girls some attention?"

Let it be known that while proper and responsible, within her own room Rhea quickly became the embodiment of a naughty kitty. Playful, teasing, challenging, and just about shameless; not that he was any better.

"I really should, shouldn't I?" he replied while looking straight into Hestia's eyes, easily seeing her personality in regards to intimacy. Shier, submissive, at times hesitant with initiation, but also curious and willing.

What a coincidence that he was dominant but also tender and playful?

Raising his free hand he gently moved one of the straps to her gown as she watched it all, still giving him her shy smile. Percy also noted that Rhea reached across his shoulder to move the other strap with him. In all of three seconds both straps fell and with them, the gown itself to reveal suppled and full breasts. Again Percy paused to admire his wife, the thought of which brought immense joy to him. His wives, after having taken their vows before Styx. His to love, to cherish, to support, to form a future with.

He noted that Hestia was trying to cover herself in embarrassment as he admired her but he quickly stopped that as he held her arms while looking into her eyes, his gaze firm and encouraging.

"Hestia," he said as he used one arm to pull her closer, her naked chest pressed against his. "You are beautiful, never forget that. You never need to feel embarrassed or hide from us, okay?"

All he got was a teary smile and nod but from her eyes he could tell his words had far more weight and helped calm any doubts in her mind. Without further ado he kissed her again, this time rougher and deeper as he sat back on his knees and bringing Hestia onto his lap. Soon though he left her lips and started to trail down her neck as she softly mewled under his attention, her hands around his neck. Then he leaned her back just enough for his head to comfortably dip and kiss her breasts. She gasped as her grip on him tightened. He smirked at her reaction and continued on with kisses and licks until he captured one nipple and sucked on it gleefully.

"P-Percy …" was Hestia's soft moan, her back arching as she slowly started to ground her hips on his boner, eliciting a groan from him.

He flicked and nibbled on her nipple, loving every little twitch she made but was surprised when she gave a harder gasp. He glanced to his side to see that Rhea had reached around him to fondle Hestia's left breast, squeezing and tweaking.

Naughty kitty indeed.

He could practically feel Rhea's smirk and could guess she was having a field day … he would get to her soon enough though. Still, he refocused on Hestia as he felt Rhea shift from behind him, leaving him to switch targets and suck on her left breast, all to the music of her moans. He let go of his prisoners after bit to see that Rhea was behind Hestia now, an absolutely devious glint in her eyes as she looked at him. Then, much to Hestia's shock and his guilty excitement, Rhea turned Hestia's head and kissed her, getting a surprised squeak from the younger goddess. More of Percy's blood rushed south as he watched as if in a trance as Hestia slowly melted into it and kissed back, even going as far as moaning softly while Rhea's hands returned to their fondling.

After a few minutes of the show they broke apart with a strand of saliva between them, before both looked at him. If he hadn't been hard before he was ready to punch through steel now, and judging by how both glanced down, they knew it.

"Hestia," Rhea whispered, her eyes suddenly very serious shocking Percy out of his slight daze. "… You can go first."

Hestia's mouth dropped open in shock as Rhea said that, the implications not being lost on them. It was their new home and the first full sex since becoming protogenoi, their first since their unorthodox marriage. Rhea had already given him her reformed virginity and took his but now she willingly let Hestia consummate their union and proved to Hestia that she was equal. That got happy tears out of Hestia, to the point the goddess pulled Rhea in and gave her a thank you kiss much to Rhea's surprise.

"Thank you," Hestia said happily once she broke the lip-lock, getting a smile back from Rhea.

"You're welcome and now …" she started as she returned her gaze to Percy. "I'll get Percy ready for you."

Percy got her meaning quick enough and smirked while wrapping his arms around Hestia before pulling her closer.

"Then I'll get Hestia ready," he said as he snapped his fingers making her booty shorts disappear while getting a squeak from her.

"Percy…?" Hestia asked hesitantly as Percy laid down while pulling Hestia up. "Wait, are you going to-awn!"

She cut of the moment he had her thighs around his head and he gave her quivering lower lips a strong kiss. Her glistening sex with a thin strip of hair above it, her scent and the taste of her honey quickly took his focus. He quickly moved past kisses and started to lick her, drawing out long moans as her hands found his head, dragging her fingers through his hair. All the while he felt his boxers disappear and a soft hand wrapped around his length with wet warmth surrounding the head. He groaned at the feeling but that only served to excite Hestia more as her honey increased.

He quickly used his tongue, abusing the fact that his control was above most thanks to wolf traits, and exposed her little pearl, flicking it repeatedly. Her every little hitch and whimper was a melody to him, exciting him to no ends as his skilled tongue explored every inch. At times he would probe lower near her opening, just shy of actually entering her to tease her. After a few minutes he added a nibble to her clit and a strong suck, her reaction making it all the sweeter. She gasped and rocked her hips on him, her thighs starting to squeeze but he slowed down much to her disappointed whine. He also felt Rhea leaving his member, thankfully not bringing him close since he wanted to enjoy his first time with Hestia.

Moving the panting goddess down until she was hovering over his crotch, like Rhea he took one of Hestia's hands and interlaced their fingers while locking eyes with her. The love was evident as she gave him a warm smile before surprising him and letting herself drop, completely sheathing herself in one go with a cry of pain. Percy was overwhelmed from the near burning heat and tightness to react any more than groaning with his hands jumping to her hips but Rhea covered that. She gently hugged Hestia from the side while kissing away the tears. They stood still for several minutes until Hestia spoke, her voice sweet and gentle as she smiled down at him.

"Finally … I'm yours."

He gave her a smile in return and sat up, hugging her to him while whispering, "And I'm yours too."

"Don't forget about me now," Rhea playfully butted in, getting an eye roll from both even as they smiled.

Percy then returned his attention to Hestia, silently asking for permission to move. She gave him a nod and he used his arms to slowly move her up, moaning in tune with her, and then brought her down sharply. Hestia gasped but didn't protest as he repeated the action, adding hip thrusts for extra pressure as Hestia melted in his arms. Soon Hestia started to bounce of her own accord, her arms like a vice around his neck. Rhea wasn't idle either as she was behind Hestia, fondling her again and making Hestia cry out even more.

Percy for his part was focusing on not coming too soon but Hestia's heat and tightness was making it a tough task, along with the sight before him, he was sure his defeat was imminent but Hestia looked like she might be resisting for a while. Apparently Rhea thought that as well and considering that she was probably insanely horny at this point; what with her and Percy having been limited to only some play after decades of having been very active with each other, patience was not her strong suit tonight. With a Cheshire grin Rhea reached around and started to rub Hestia's pearl, eliciting a shocked gasp from the goddess of fire.

"N-no … fa-ir …" Hestia managed even as her bouncing got desperate and Percy felt her walls starting to pulse around his length.

"Tough," Rhea chirped back before nibbling and sucking Hestia's neck.

The assault on multiple fronts was quickly becoming overwhelming on the goddess and it was only now that Percy realized there was literal steam coming of anywhere he and Hestia had skin contact, especially between their joining. Percy added more strength to his thrusting, much to Hestia's delight, his own member pulsing with an approaching release but he tried to hold out for a little longer.

Deciding that fair play wasn't in the books tonight he latched his mouth around Hestia's free breast, sucking hard as he pounded into her. Hestia gave another shocked cry but she drowned that out when he felt her walls clamp down on him and she threw her head back.

"PERCY!" she screamed in orgasmic bliss as she came, her sex squeezing him into her awaiting hearth all the while Rhea was unceremoniously thrown back since Hestia's wings sprung out.

The pressure was too much and with a growl that sounded suspiciously like Hestia's name, he came within her as well, eliciting another longer and drawn out moan from her as his wings also came out. Trapped within their throws of passion, Percy's wings enveloped the smaller goddess, covering her in a feathered blanket of cool darkness. He held onto her, their foreheads joined together as they looked into each other's eyes. Once they got down from their high they gave each other goofy smiles before Percy whispered, "I love you."

"And I love you," she replied sweetly.

They panted together for a few minutes, simply relishing in the afterglow of their first time together. Percy simply loved the feeling of having her this close, in the embrace of his wings and warmth of her smile. It was after they recovered a little more that Hestia spoke.

"Umm … I think I might be too tired to go more than one round tonight," she said with obvious disappointment but Percy fixed that quickly with his own words.

"That doesn't matter," he said softly before giving her a peck on the nose. "You're new to this so give yourself some time. You were amazing regardless."

That got a brighter smile out of her before she grinned with a glint of mischief in her eyes and leaned into his ear. "… And now let's show Rhea why it isn't nice to cheat."

"It's your lead, my queen," he growled back making her shiver while still sheathed on him, her warmth not having lessened in the slightest.

He then allowed his wings to unwrap from around her but left them out as she gingerly got off his lap and letting his member spring free. Once that was done both turned to see Rhea huffing at them, not having appreciated falling off the bed thanks to their wings.

"What were you two whispering about?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Hestia and Percy shared a glance and equal grins. "What are you-Hestia!"

Hestia surprised Rhea by pouncing on the older goddess, one free hand tugging down the corset and releasing Rhea's prisoners. Rhea couldn't react in time as Hestia latched her mouth to Rhea's sensitive neck, making Rhea moan and squeak at the same time thanks to some rough fondling. Before Rhea could get to a counter-attack Percy made his move, pinning both of Rhea's hands above her head and claiming her lips. As he dominated the kiss he moved until he was between her legs and Rhea started grinding onto him, moaning all the while.

After Percy released her mouth he looked into her eyes with a smirk, loving the dazed look on her face from the surprise. He then got an idea and brought her hands together before touching them to the headboard a little ways behind her. He focused on his powers and formed Voidcrystal cuffs being connected to the headboard, leaving her trapped and at their mercy.

"Payback time," Hestia said with glee as she let go of Rhea's breast … wait, since when was her little angel halo on fire. Thoughts for another time.

Rhea could only whimper in reply even as Percy caught the scent of her arousal increasing making him smirk.

"It's wasn't nice to cut Hestia's fuse like that," he said teasingly as he pulled the ties keeping Rhea's thong on. He casually tossed them aside and aligned himself, knowing she was more than wet enough. "So no oral beforehand," he added, knowing how much she loved getting oral from him.

"But-"

Whatever protest she had was quickly cut off as Hestia initiated another kiss, this time being the aggressor as Rhea was left at her mercy. Percy mentality noted 'Hestia; submissive and shy only to him apparently' with a grin before he thrust forward, piercing her in one motion. Rhea gave a sharp gasp turned into a loud moan even while kissing Hestia, her hips bucking into Percy's for more. Percy was all too happy to oblige, starting off with a fast rhythm as he picked up Rhea's knees to get a better angle. Rhea's familiar warmth and tightness quickly brought him closer even as he thrust away with enough force to knock the breath out of her.

Hestia doubled the assault, using her hands to squeeze Rhea's breasts and tweak her nipples while continuing to control the heated lip-lock. Rhea was at their mercies, being attacked on every front and barely getting any air thanks to Hestia. Percy even went as far as to channel some of his power to his member, making it marginally colder. The reaction was instant as Rhea gasped while her walls started to pulse and constrict, the contrast between her heat and his chill stimulating her that much more. Percy grinned as he leaned forward while Hestia made room, having let go of Rhea's lips during the change.

Percy made use of the room to get to Rhea's neck, playfully nibbling along the succulent flesh as Rhea mewled and whimpered even more, her legs wrapping around his waist. He felt her tightening even further and knew it was only a matter of time before he blew so with a last effort, he moved his mouth to Rhea's ears and growled, "Come for me kitten."

That did it, the use of her pet name he only ever used when they were alone, sent her off the deep end. She screamed his name to the high heavens as she clamped down on him and milked him, making him come in response. She moaned at the feeling as she looked at him with love cutting through her orgasmic daze, a warm smile on her face which he matched. He then gave her a soft and tender kiss, relishing in her taste as her wings came out and like before, he used his to wrap her up. The lip-lock remained for a few minutes as both came down from their highs and Percy could feel Hestia adding her own to his shoulder and neck.

He grinned as he stopped the kiss with Rhea only to give Hestia another smooch while Rhea nuzzled against his neck. She purred contently as he chuckled before letting the Voidcrystal cuffs break, Rhea using the new freedom to secure her arms around him quickly. He then started to move around with Hestia looking at them happily herself. He smiled at her before snapping his fingers, all articles of clothing disappearing as well as the little halo and horns Hestia and Rhea respectively had formed for their first night here, mentally noting to make use of those little 'props' again some time.

He then laid down and moved Rhea to his left side while Hestia snuggled up to his right. He quickly brought the sheets up to cover them and willed the room to darken, both goddess sleepily mumbling 'I love you' to him. He smiled as he hugged both closer, returning the love as he let himself drift off as well, the smile never leaving his face…

* * *

 **Lemon Over**

* * *

 **With Andromeda**

Her new room was just to her liking and she hadn't wasted a moment to decorate to her whims. Lilac colored walls with darker tones nearing the ceiling and then the black expanse beyond her sun roof. Ironic considering their island didn't move unless willed to and probably wouldn't be tilted in a way to see that celestial body anyways. The stars visible made up for it though.

Otherwise, with her overly fluffy bed and pillows, the not-so-secret stuffed toys collected through the years (only the wolf plushy was actually on her bed), her desk, dresser, and a few trinkets, her room was a near mirror to what it had been in the House of Night. However, do to having lived there for so long and rather spoiled in regards to bedtimes and such (Night deities tended to sleep even less and on more irregular hours than regular deities), she tended to be a night owl herself. Normally that would be handed with either a light read on her desk, checking on her domain, or maybe finding someone to talk to into the late hours.

Sadly Andromeda was between a rock and a hard place … the same one that she had been for a few years now. Ever since she'd truly started to connect to her domains as an heir and now fully as a primordial, her problem had become harder and harder to deny. All gods needed contact with their domains at some point and more importantly, to experience their domains entirely at least once. Conceptual domains could be double-edged swords with these requirements, Percy being a key example.

His domain of Night and Shadows had needed him to spend several nights alone and in near absolute dark, releasing his physical form and becoming one with it, letting his consciousness spread throughout it. However, Darkness and Cold themselves had more complex natures, while both could be experienced by visiting the Antarctic or similar places, those domains had also needed a more … mental connection. Percy had already fulfilled it when he hunted Ares.

She knew, she'd felt it as she monitored him, worried for him. In that time he'd embraced the worst of both domains. Darkness; his conscious and morality had been voided for a time, his hatred rooted into his being since the three betrayals allowed an outlet at last. Cold; he'd been ruthless and unforgiving, unmoved as he'd physically broken Ares and left him to a fate worse than death if she knew Tartarus right. She still thanked Chaos that he had come back from it, knowing that the first time could be disastrous and it would have been possible for him to be lost to his own domain.

But now … she was scared, denying her own domains and it hurt. She was panting on her bed, her covers thrown aside and most of her clothes gone as she desperately tried to cool down. Sweat glistened off her creamy skin, her well-endowed chest heaving with every breath, one of her hands inching towards her panties against her wishes and small tears gathered in her eyes. She couldn't tell if she wanted to feel what she did or not, both in her heart and through the connection of her domains.

If it had only been Love, she would have been fine. Eros and Phanes had made sure she understood; love was love, regardless of form and expression. Yes, physical intimacy was a strong expression and the degree depended on the form at times but it wasn't absolutely needed. Something Aphrodite likely never understood, the goddess long having forgotten the meaning of Love and that it didn't depend solely on sex or children as her stupid proof of it. Andromeda understood that; she loved and cared for every member of the Council and many of the gods they'd allied with over time. It was her large, quirky, unruly, and maddening family that she wouldn't trade for the world.

However … in a few years after becoming an heir, her other domains had jumped in and were slowly building the need for connection. Normally she wouldn't have had a problem with them; Desire, Attraction, and Procreation. Attraction was ambiguous, from material attraction to simply dedicating to something that drew her attention like followers naturally gravitate to charismatic leaders. She knew at some point she'd want children naturally but creating life the godly way also satisfied it … and she was already working on it. Desire though, was far less open to interpretation. She wanted something and unless she had it, it would only build.

Her problem was that all four domains were focused on the same person. She already had his love unconditionally but she _desired_ more from it; she _desired_ him. Her attraction had always been there and in a way, even without her ties to him, it would have ensured her want to be around him. And lastly, the most damning of her domains, Procreation, wouldn't take anything less if she intended to start any life with more than just her power. Even now she had difficulty restraining herself from looking for physical contact with him, the only touch that could cool the slow burn that was quickly becoming painful.

She'd already tried twice, visiting a mortal club to look for someone to put it out, to satisfy her domains and both times her stomach had turned after even a hint of going beyond a drink at the bar. Both times, a rather handsome man and later a busty woman, Andromeda had been unable to bear the thought of doing more, of getting touched, of giving away her firsts. And both times she left only to return to her room and cry with one thought and fear racing through her mind; 'I don't want to be like Aphrodite!' She was by no means a prude and had no problem with intimacy being either causal or matrimonial, after all, sex was natural and shouldn't be disregarded or ignored like some taboo. As long as fully consensual and aware, she supported it, but for herself there wasn't a 'casual' option anymore.

She wanted him and only him. She'd known ever since she'd woken up once before him and to her horror, she'd still been an adult rather than the usual child form. Luckily she'd forced herself back into being a child and soon 'weened' herself of sneaking into his room at night. To her shame, that had been a bold faced lie. The truth was that more than once she'd wanted to do so much more, not caring if she wasn't alone with him which he rarely was. She could either act on it or distance herself and avoid being too close.

It didn't help and only built up over time, now more than ever before. Her domains let her feel emotions, especially those relevant directly to them. The raw, overwhelming waves of lust and love bombarded her, making her core burn with need and her heart race. It had happened once before … the first time they came together years ago. Before she'd even realized who the feelings were coming from, she mercilessly pleasured herself, her mind already projecting just who was the one driving her over the edge … and now the effect was even stronger.

"I want to be in their place," she whispered to herself treacherously, even as small tears streaked down her cheeks.

But she wouldn't; couldn't do it. It was already a push to have the queens sharing and she didn't know if they would accept her as well … or the others she knew also shared her feelings for him.

"Why did you have to be so … you?" she asked no one as she reached for her stuffed wolf and hugged it tight and took a deep breath.

She wasn't the only one holding back, watching with longing for his caresses, to see that same love and lust in his eyes directed their way. But she couldn't betray her queens, one being her best friend, her sister, her confident, her other queen quickly becoming just as close. Others thought her relationship with Rhea was that of mother and daughter and for a time, it was, but truthfully after Andromeda learned the truth of her actual mother and then the lies of Artemis, it had been hard to call anyone mother. In truth Nyx had been the closest thing to one while her older brother and sister in all but blood had done a large portion of the raising.

Now the lines were being blurred in every way. The Queens, former mother/daughter but never had the chance to develop as such now sister-wives and rulers, equals under the eyes of their king, and judging by what she felt, content to be lovers as well. Her own former ties, even while cherished and remembered in her heart, were also stripped and altered. She would always say that her true mother had been Sally Blofis nee Jackson, her second and last being Nyx, but she no longer had a tie of blood to Sally.

And by extension, she no longer truly had a brother in that sense either … and now that love wanted to change as well. Somehow, she felt like Nyx was laughing in the Realm of the Faded, one giggled sentence striking true regardless of how much Andy wanted to deny it to spare herself and others the possible pain of it.

'Like mother, like daughter.'

She whimpered as her body shuddered, her thighs rubbing together as she tried to bury her head in her over-stuffed pillows. She could feel the lust ending with their activities but the love was still there. The love she wanted to experience and share just as much. Hopefully Hypnos was being a regular pal and Morpheus would spare her any unnecessary material for her night …

* * *

 **Author's Rant: How was that!? A lemon to appease you all and a little more on their world! I'll try to wrap up Percy getting with Andy before getting to the war officially. Hope you enjoyed and let me hear your thoughts!**


	23. Doubts of the Heart

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Happy Spring Break (for those in the US of A). A special for you all ...**

 **A MEGA-CHAPTER!**

 **I really want to get the war kicked off but I also wanted to set up some ground work for a few sub-plots and get Andy with Percy so I'll wrap that up with this chapter and the next! Lots of facts in this one and several surprises for you all (I think some people called a few things appearing, you know who you are!)**

 **Plus: I keep forgetting to write this up. In this AU, there is NO EGYPTIAN or NORSE PANTHEON. Why? Because it will be explained later with some of my world building.**

 **Good? Good.**

 **Now, onwards with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Only plot is mine.**

* * *

 **Several Days Later**

The words of the priest fell over the gathered, their heads tucked down in solemn silence. Some were on their knees and hands clasped together, others standing close together, the men in darker clothes and most of the women in shawls. The large church was light with hundreds of small candles while the upper rafters remained bathed in shadows. Outside the ornate windows the pale light of the moon could be seen, a silent observer to this night service of mourning after tragedy.

Amongst the attendants was a woman standing near the back pews, her hands at her sides as she quietly observed the church goers. Her silvery-blue eyes looked over the fractured families in sadness, her platinum blonde, near silvery hair hidden under a black shawl like the rest. Her dress, a dark grey reaching past her knees, was immaculate and without the sign of even the slightest wrinkle.

The woman just looked on, never moving or so much as saying a word but there seemed to be this aura about her that gently soothed those within the church. It was like the cool and gentle light of the moon in a clear night and though none attending were aware, they left feeling lighter than when they arrived. It took another hour before most of the congregation left with the priest taking a few members off to the side to speak. This pair, a mother and young son by the looks of it, had been crying harder than most during the service and seemed to be mostly alone compared to the larger groups.

She sighed as she watched but then she noticed shuffling to her side and glanced to see what it was. She noticed it was a young man, likely in his twenties with near white hair slightly combed to the side, sharp and clean chin, intense blue eyes that she almost believed looked to have white electricity in them. He was dressed in a simple black suit and tie, looking similar to some of the men that had been in attendance but his presence clearly distinguished him. The woman immediately knew he was no mere mortal, the strength of his stance and aura around him clearly said as much, but she wasn't too sure what he was.

Not a monster as far as she could tell, perhaps a demigod? But one being this old and in the open, especially in the Old World would be next to suicide. She was so entrenched in her thoughts she hadn't realized she'd been staring for some time. The stranger turned his face to her as he cleared his throat, breaking her out of her musings. They locked eyes for some time until he finally spoke.

"You weren't easy to find … Selene."

She did her best to hide any outward reaction but internally she was starting to panic. How had she been found and by whom? She'd known that titans were disappearing and rumors of several gods as well, with the disappearance of Hestia being most notable. Thinking that a possibly hostile entity was after them, she'd been rather relieved that she'd been mostly to ground and almost no one knew where she was staying. She'd even avoided flashing, instead using mortal means of travel and yet, someone did in fact find her. And now she was wondering if this meant a fight was imminent but then the man slowly raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Easy there, I'm not looking for any trouble … only an offer," he said but she still kept her wits about her, a silver dagger having discreetly formed in her right hand and out of his view.

"Who are you?" she asked with narrowed eyes and a low voice, still glancing around to the mortals but it seemed that the Mist had intensified enough to make them practically invisible to them. "… and how did you find me?"

"My furry friends have good noses," he answered in a more relaxed voice. "And you weren't as discreet with your movements as you thought."

"What do you want?" Selene asked with an edge to her voice, her grip on her dagger tightening.

"Like I said, I just wanted to give you an offer," he continued while even going so far as to tucking his hands in his pockets.

"And that would be …?"

"I belong to a certain … group," he began, his tone measured, "This group is offering sanctuary from the impending war coming. We already have a safe home established and has an open offer for gods, titans, and more." He then paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing for a moment in thought before he added, "Your mother and sister are already there."

"Theia and Eos?" Selene asked in surprise. She hadn't been the only titan to try to disappear after their 'release' thanks to the Jackson boy but still, to think they'd been found as well.

"Yep. They're there as well as plenty of other titans and gods as I'm sure you've heard thanks to all the recent disappearances."

"Yes …" Selene said softly she glanced down for a moment. "… But if you belong to the group that's been taking gods, with the one that took Hestia." Her grip on her dagger tightened to the point the leather of the handle was starting to tear. Memories of other wars, from before the time of the Olympians and after, memories of why enemy forces tended to want the women of their opponents … and this man said they had her mother and sister already. The thought of such a fate having befallen them made her blood boil. "How do I know this isn't a trick!" she hissed harshly before her hand moved.

In a silvery blur her hand came around, the point of her dagger screaming for blood. However, faster than she could see, his hand moved and caught her wrist. The stop was so sudden that the dagger tip wavered for a moment … less than an inch from the man's unfazed eyes. She openly gaped at him for a full ten seconds before she tried to pull her hand back but found that she couldn't. His grip was solid and he didn't seem to be straining at all.

"You're more … aggressive than I would have thought," the man commented while slowly forcing her daggered hand away from his face. "… Is that a moon goddess thing?"

"What?" Selene asked, the comment throwing her off completely.

It didn't seem to be what the man was expecting either as he just quirked an eyebrow before sighing and releasing her hand. Before she could do or say anything else he raised a hand to silence her. Once he was sure she would remain quiet he continued.

"Look, I know this is sudden but I'm giving you a genuine offer. You could really live and be with your family instead of hiding out in the dark corners of Europe." He then brought a pure white marble out of his pocket and held it out to her. "Just … think on it for a few days. If you end up deciding that you'll take my group up on the offer, crush the marble. Otherwise, throw it away and never look back. Hell, you could turn down the offer now and seek us out later if you want. We just thought giving you the offer now would be nicer than an Olympian tracking you down to draft you into their dwindling forces."

"How are you so sure they'll come looking for me?" she asked after some silence, now holding the marble in her palm and eyeing it warily.

"Because you are strong and the current moon goddess has to know you're out here somewhere. She might come look for you once she figures out her allies…" He ignored her scoff at the term 'allies' and continued on. "… are being taken and with reason. Besides, the Olympians are proud but if desperate enough they'll use unsavory methods to force services, especially now that there isn't a prophecy for them to fall back on and their strongest heroes are falling off the map. So either hang around on the off-chance that the Olympians come knocking or leave early and join your family."

He then turned and started to walk away but then paused and glanced back at her. "Tell me, do you by chance know where your brother is?"

Selene looked at him in the eyes for a tense minute, still wondering if his offer was genuine before replying, "I don't really trust to giving him away … but give me your name, I'll pass your message along."

That got a small smirk off the man before he said, "The name is Grace," and he kept walking.

"Grace?" she muttered to herself, wondering why the name seemed eerily familiar. It took her a second to get it as her eyes widened but by the time she looked again he was gone without a trace.

She scanned around but couldn't detect anything or anyone watching her. Only when she was sure did she allow herself to relax, finally allowing the dagger she'd had in her hand to disappear. ' _One of the heroes … to think they'd be looking for me but what does it mean. A new war … with them? Just what is going on?'_ she wondered before looking at the marble in her hand again.

"I need to speak with Helios …"

* * *

 **With Medusa**

Medusa calmly walked through the entrance of the Grand Temple, otherwise known as the Primordial Temple and location of the new council's throne room. She calmly strolled through the large archway leading into the building, giving polite nods to some gods and titans moving about their ways. ' _Honestly with every day this place gets busier and busier,'_ she thought as she narrowly avoided a nature goddess running off with a list for some new plants to be arranged in the second district.

She smiled though as thought on all the progress being made thanks to the ideas of the new council. From now on, even if only part-time, every god actively participated in a job or practice. Most obviously sought jobs relatable to their domains and now thanks to having official Canadian citizenship, some gods were even going as far as setting up employment with mortals. Heck, Rhea was already working on setting up an official tree farm to subtly start to spread out blessed trees to increase the health of her domain. Obviously there were some gods grumbling about it but truthfully most of them had plenty of free time on their hands and they could use an outlet rather than causing mischief.

Another ruling by the council had been gods needing to take responsibility for their children and their mortal lovers. Failure to do so could lead to fines, community service, and in case of abuse, possible arrest or Andromeda stripping the offending god's ability to have children. Luckily no one had done anything demanding of more than a slap on the wrist and even some of the children from the orphanage have been adopted. ' _Maybe I'll visit Leto and help around later today,'_ she mused as she turned down a hall leading to the main offices of the protogenoi.

However, as she turned she spotted Andromeda on her way to her office looking rather down trodden. That made Medusa frown and before she even thought about it, she'd already changed plans from meeting up with her master to speaking with one of her best friends. So, with a quickness to her step she followed up to the Love goddess, meeting her just before she closed the door to her office.

"Andy!" she called, making the goddess start in her direction.

"Medusa," Andy said softly with a forced smile. "Can I help you with anything?"

Medusa looked at her intently for a few minutes before saying softly, "Not really … but you look like you could use a friendly ear."

That made Andy's eyes widen but before she could try to deny anything Medusa pushed on.

"You're terrible at hiding your feelings Andy," she said before stepping closer. "What's wrong?"

Andromeda didn't reply immediately, instead leaning her head past Medusa to make sure no one else was in the hallways before suddenly grabbing Medusa's hand and pulling her in through the door with a startled squeak. Before she knew it Medusa was in the office and taking in the sights for the first time while Andy locked the door behind them.

"Huh … not what I expected," she muttered as she looked around.

Andromeda's office was a large library shaped as a tower made of white marble with the door in the bottom floor. She looked up and couldn't even see the ceiling with shelves upon shelves of tablets of all things. Each one was roughly 6 by 6 inches with a glowing heart icon on the edge towards the inside much like the barcodes. Fluttering around the library were hundreds of small birds of Paradise, Andromeda's chosen animals, each moving around tablets. Medusa watched the little birds work, noting the types of labels on some floors and shelves such as 'Mystic' or 'Mortal', than smaller divisions with gender, age divisions by generations, and country nationality.

"Like my system?" Andy asked her as she stepped up to look at her 'office' as well.

"I'm just impressed with how your mind works," Medusa replied.

She'd had it explained to her by Percy. These 'offices' were essentially physical representations of the mind of each primordial. With all the sheer input from their domains, regardless of how powerful and complex the minds of gods could be, they were bound to miss small details from time to time. That's why they created these offices to double check their domains and prioritize certain actions.

"Is that just because I'm a Love goddess?" Andy asked with a mock scowl. "Would it be better if there were nothing but clouds and pink balloons?"

"I didn't say anything?" Medusa replied innocently getting a small giggle from the goddess.

They remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Medusa sighed and asked again, "So Andy … what's bothering you?"

Andromeda didn't really reply other than letting her shoulders slump as her eyes became cloudy.

"It's … complicated," she mumbled as one of her birds landed on her shoulder and started to nip at her cheek affectionately getting a small smile out of the goddess.

"Andy …" Medusa whispered as she placed a reassuring hand on her free shoulder and squeezed softly.

Andromeda took a shuddering breath before finally relenting, looking at Medusa with watery eyes.

"I … I love him …"

"Who?" Medusa asked with a frown, trying to think of anyone she'd seen Andromeda look at in particular but nothing came to mind.

"…P…" Whoever it was Andy mumbled the name too low for Medusa to catch.

"Who?"

"Percy," Andy squeaked out before turning her face away while her bird squawked while nearly falling off from the sudden movement.

Medusa for her part looked at the goddess in confusion before going on. "Well duh, I would assume you love him, pretty much everyone does."

"No!" Andy snapped with more strength while looking back at Medusa. "I _love_ him!"

It took Medusa a few seconds before it finally clicked, leaving her to blink owlishly before murmuring, "Oh … I see."

Andromeda hung her head in defeat after that before nodding slowly.

"And let me guess. You can't bring yourself to tell him, right?" she asked, getting another nod from Andy. "Are you scared that he might not return the feelings? Can't you like, check beforehand?"

"It's not that simple," Andy replied as she started to scratch her bird's head softly. "Primordials are different to all other beings. Our thoughts and actions are beyond prediction unless the emotions are incredibly strong or dead set for a very long time. That's why there aren't any prophecies for us or for Nyx when she contacted Percy. The Fates aren't all knowing and they can't directly see what a primordial will decide and the repercussions of those decisions."

"So they could see Gaea's doom since she was planning her war for millennia," Medusa said with a thoughtful look as Andy nodded.

"Yeah and even then the prophecy didn't pan out since Gaea didn't fall to storm or fire. But the point is that I can't read his emotions either … at least, not if he isn't aware of them himself or hides them," she said as she walked towards one of the shelves as her bird fluttered away. "I can say without a doubt that Percy, Rhea, and Hestia are all absolutely in love with each other since they don't hide it in any way but I can't tell if his love for me is more that of sibling love. And if I tried to check, he would feel it."

"And you can't ask him to let you search around a little?" Medusa asked as she followed after her. "I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem with it."

"Because it's a two-way street and he might feel my emotions too," she replied. "And then what if he finds out I love him but he doesn't return those feelings?" she asked with a slight quiver in her voice.

"But he might," Medusa persisted only for Andy to lower her head again.

"It … it isn't just love that I want," she mumbled.

"Well, what else is it? Andy, you need to tell me if you want me to help at all," Medusa persisted getting the goddess to look at her in the eyes.

They stared for a few minutes in tense silence before Andromeda took a shuddering breath and then went on to explain everything. How her love had turned from sibling to romantic, how her domains had all focused on Percy, much to Andy's embarrassment about wanting kids with him which got a snort and a good luck from Medusa. However, any teasing Medusa might have had planned flew out the window the moment Andy explained the effects of holding herself back were having for her. Still, it seemed to her that Andy needed something positive to think about so she tried to push the conversation along.

"You don't seriously think he would treat you any differently even if he didn't return your feelings right?" Medusa asked softly. "I mean, come on. It's Percy we're talking about here."

"Still …" Andromeda mumbled as she absently reached for a tablet and checked a screen displaying some guy with a blue heart icon.

Medusa watched silently as Andy tapped some icons and used her finger to write some things in before raising the tablet and letting one of her birds whisk it away. She watched the bird fly off to one of the higher levels with it before spotting three entire floor that was labeled 'BLACK LISTED', with all the heart icons being solid back and even some looked cracked.

"The Black List," Andy commented as she noted where Medusa was looking. "Those are the people who have caused irreparable damage to my domains of Love and Procreation." At Medusa's silent look the goddess continued. "It's for those that have murdered the innocent … and those that have committed rape."

Medusa swallowed thickly as she tried in vain to even count the tablets. They were also divided and she could see similar markers to the regular floors but still, the sheer number.

"How many?" she asked softly.

"Tens … of thousands," she replied with a clearly disgusted growl in her voice. "And because of the Ancient Laws I can just will for all of them to spontaneously combust or something."

"You could go one by one and hunt them all down though," Medusa replied with a shrug before asking. "Are you already working on creating a guardian or vassals to safeguard your domains?"

At that Andromeda's eyes widened before she nodded shyly, which caused Medusa to narrow her eyes.

"Can I see what you have?" Medusa probed as Andy nervously tapped her fingers together.

"Okay just … don't tell anyone," she said softly as she started to walk to one of the walls as a set of stairs materialized leading to the second floor.

Medusa followed behind as she watched the goddess, wondering what it was that was making her so nervous now. She let her thoughts stew as they arrived and Medusa saw a new door appearing between some shelves but this one looked oddly science techy with even a damn scanned and number pad on the side. She watched in amusement as Andromeda tapped a ridiculously long number code and then placed her hand on the scanner.

The door then slide open with a loud hiss, a fine mist billowing out making Medusa gawk at the goddess and said goddess glancing back at her with a giggle.

"Are you becoming a mad scientist or something?" Medusa asked as they walked into the currently dark room … which was odd considering Medusa should be able to see in absolute darkness.

"No but I heard Styx has a similar lab in her office and there were a few explosions when she was experimenting with her lava," Andromeda answered while Medusa snickered.

"Okay but what is it you have in here?" Medusa asked as she still couldn't see anything and they were well into the darkened room already.

"… Fine …" Andy finally relented before the lights suddenly sprang up making Medusa blink away the little lights in her eyes.

Once she readjusted her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates with her mouth hanging open.

"Yeah … I thought you might react like that," Andy sighed while Medusa remained silent.

In the large lab room, at the very center on a raised platform was a large pillar made of some unknown, lilac crystal. Surrounding the pillar were several monitors and screens, tables with notes, and even a table with vials of odd liquids and some tools commonly found in medical rooms. However, what really had Medusa's attention was what was currently _inside_ the pillar. There, floating in a light pink and translucent liquid was a naked girl that looked to be about 17. She was slightly less than Andromeda's height, around 5'7 or so with a curvy, just shy of busty figure, long legs, and long flowing black hair. Her skin was tan and flawless, with her face having a small buttoned nose and high cheek bones on a heart shaped face.

Medusa looked at the girl intensely for over a minute before looking back to Andy, and then back to the girl. The resemblances were uncanny to the Love goddess but she wasn't the only one Medusa was finding similarities to. In fact, as Medusa peered closer she could just make out a slight tip of fangs bumping out from the relaxed lips. ' _Cute … looks just like when he …'_ Medusa's thoughts stopped as she went ramrod straight and slowly turned to look at the fidgeting goddess trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Andromeda … Xena … Jackson …" Medusa said slowly as Andy flinched with each one of her names called.

"…Y-yes?"

"Care to explain to me your … guardian … looks like you _and_ Percy?" Medusa asked as she starred down the goddess, hands on her hips.

"I … I …" Andromeda stammered for a minute before taking a deep breath. "You know how creation for gods work right?"

"You concentrate your pure divine power and mentally build from the ground up, usually adding traits and influences from either your domain or with the permission of another god for other domains. Poseidon created the horses and then to appease his brother from an argument, got permission to use the Sky domain before adding wings to create the Pegasus … otherwise Zeus would have shot every single one out of the sky," she recited with ease.

"Right … and if the creation has a god's blood?" she continued while looking more and more nervous by the minute.

"It makes the difference between the creature being mortal or immortal and adds a higher influence or affinity for certain domains … and could add abilities similar to their parents," she answered instantly.

"Okay, well," Andromeda paused for a moment as she collected herself while Medusa started tapping her foot. Then, in one quick breathe Andy answer.

"MyProcreationDomainwasalittlewildandIwantedtoconsiderhermydaughersoshehasmybloodandPercy's!"

"… What?" Medusa asked after trying and failing to decipher what the goddess said for a minute.

Andromeda wringed her hands for a bit before taking another breathe and answering in a calmer voice.

"Percy had already given me his blood with his permission to use the influence of Night but my Procreation Domain was acting up when I was shaping her," she said pointing to the slumbering girl. "So I might have changed her from being an avian of some sort to being mainly humanoid and since she also comes from my blood."

"She's your daughter … with Percy's," Medusa finished as Andy nodded slowly.

"…"

"… You do realize that if Rhea and Hestia find out your ass is grass right?"

A nod.

"Oh good … I call dibs on your wolf plushy."

"…"

"So care to explain why was it that you lost control of your domain for a moment that lead to this?" Medusa asked as she finally looked away from the goddess and back to the sleeping immortal.

She heard Andy sigh before explaining. "It wasn't intentional, it's just that when I found him to ask for his blood, he was visiting Leto's orphanage. He gave it to me no problem but then I stuck around and watched him playing with the kids and …"

There was a high pitched squeal getting Medusa to glance back at the excited goddess.

"I just … I couldn't stop picturing him with kids afterwards … and I was daydreaming about what kids between us would look like."

"Okay … so she satisfies one of your domains?" Medusa asked getting a nod from the goddess. "So what can she do? What's her purpose?"

That got a scowl from Andy so Medusa quickly backtracked a little.

"Not like that! I know, you just said that she's your daughter even if she didn't grow inside you. I just meant that you still must have given her a purpose if you've taken the time to slowly create her."

That seemed to pacify the goddess enough for her to explain as she walked past Medusa and laid a hand against the pillar. Medusa also noted that the girl twitched at the contact to her container meaning she could probably feel her mother's presence.

"She'll be the first of my own form of Hunters," Andromeda explained as she carefully looked at her sleeping daughter. "They'll hunt after those that have been Black Listed and end them in my place."

"So like Percy's wolves getting free reign to rip apart poachers and other possibly unsavory company within their territories," Medusa commented as she stepped closer as well.

"Mmhm," Andy hummed as she tapped one of the screens showing a heart rate and other readings. "Yes and to do it I gave her a variety of abilities. She is strong enough to overpower any human and most demigods but her focus will be speed and agility. Thanks to Percy she'll have excellent senses and have more energy during the night."

"Wait," Medusa interrupted as she looked at the goddess. "So you just recreated and perfected the vampire?"

"What? No, she isn't a vampire," Andy retorted but then Medusa pointed at the fang tips visible. "That's probably inherited from Percy, now let me finish!" she huffed before taking a moment to get back into her lecture mode. "Anyways, that's as far as her abilities inherited through Percy's blood should go. On my end I gave her the ability to sense emotions related to my domain so she can easily pick out those that are Black Listed, can manipulate her age like me, and she has the ability to see fantasies."

"What?" Medusa asked only for Andy to scowl at her more. "Sorry."

"What I mean by that is that she can see a person's most hidden desires making it difficult to lie to her and play on that to get close to them. Seduction is a powerful weapon and a good majority of her targets will be easier to disarm if you play on their hidden desires."

"So she'll be a master seductress and assassin," Medusa wrapped up.

"Essentially," Andromeda agreed with a nod before she got a pensive look. "Thing is … I'm not sure if I should even awaken her."

"Why not?" Medusa asked with a frown before she paused to think about it.

Sure, in a way Andy went behind Rhea and Hestia's backs to have a child with Percy which would certainly raise a few issues. But then again, though it was a cold way of looking at it, this girl isn't Percy's first born. Though true that their council was completely unorthodox with its ruling and laws, they still held themselves to some standards reminiscent of past monarchies thanks to their tutoring with the past protogenoi. Even though they had two queens, everyone on the council still knew that Rhea was First Lady in a sense and held that authority. Sure, on a personal and relationship level both Hestia and Rhea were equal in Percy's eyes, but in their court of law Hestia still differed to Rhea.

Being that case, it was an unsaid fact that Rhea would carry Percy's firstborn … unless Percy made sure to get both queens pregnant on the same night and leave it up to who was born first. Knowing him he just might actually but the issue was that how this new child would be seen? Medusa knew neither Rhea nor Hestia would hold ill will or try to harm the girl but that would do little for possible feelings of betrayal. Not to mention this girl could put Percy on the crosshairs depending on how he viewed her which would undoubtedly be like a proper father.

"I see the problem …" Medusa mumbled softly as some more thought as Andromeda nodded gravely. "… But I still think you should awaken her … and tell all three of them."

"What!?" Andy nearly shrieked as she looked at Medusa in shock. "Are you crazy!?"

"But hiding it will only hurt in the long wrong and besides, if you don't awaken her, what will you do?" Medusa countered. Andy paused to try and find an argument but Medusa didn't let her. "She's already created and obviously alive. What? Are you going to lock her away forever?"

"No!" Andy snapped but Medusa kept the pressure.

"Then are you going to kill her? Toss her in Styx's lake to make sure her essence is destroyed forever?"

Andromeda gasped in horror at even the idea while Medusa pointed at the girl.

"She's your daughter so are you going to give her the chance to live or not?" she asked heatedly.

Andromeda remained silent for some time as Medusa continued to watch her, wondering where the goddess' thoughts were going at the moment. She didn't think Andy would actually consider disposing of her daughter in any shape or form but then again the situation was rather precarious. Still after nearly five minutes of silence Andy sighed as her shoulders slumped.

"I don't know."

Medusa pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation before forcing herself to calm down. It wouldn't do to go on shouting at the obviously distraught goddess. From what she could see, it would be cruel and unrealistic to ask Andy to get rid of the girl but at the same time, if she did awaken the girl now of all times, the reactions would be the worst.

"That's it!" Medusa snapped as she grabbed Andy's hand and started to drag her out of the room. She would have preferred to shadow travel them but being in the office connected to the mind of a primordial, no form of teleportation would work unless one had express permission by said god.

"Where are we going?" Andy asked, putting up little resistance even as they left the lab room with the slumbering immortal.

"To find Rhea and Hestia," Medusa answered, giving an extra tug as Andy suddenly pulled back in shock.

"Why?" Andromeda asked in confusion as she slowly started to put some resistance, knowing that Medusa was nowhere near actually strong enough to pull Andy anywhere if the goddess didn't want to.

"Because you don't have the luxury to hide this and wait for a better time," Medusa said as they arrived again at the bottom floor before turning around to face the apparently confused goddess. "Andromeda … we are declaring war in little more than three weeks. The Olympians have already noticed Ares being absent and are definitely starting to notice the shifts in power. Once Phoebe stops cloaking the mountain from their senses, they will send demigod and monster forces after us. We on the other hand do not have an army but a select group of warriors and their personal forces to fight this entire war. Warriors including you, me, and the majority of the council. The last thing we need is you basically driving yourself mad by denying yourself and then upsetting the queens too. We need to be united even if that means facing the music now."

That broke whatever resistance Andy had been trying to dig up as the goddess bowed her head in acknowledgement. Medusa nodded as she continued to lead the goddess out of her office and they quickly arrived at the door leading out but before they could they were startled by a sudden knocking.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Medusa asked with a glance to Andy.

"No …" she replied as she narrowed her eyes for a moment. "… But its Jason."

Without further ado the door swung open to reveal said god dressed in a white button shirt and faded jeans, his drakon leather boots gleaming as if freshly polished. Medusa though noted a slightly hollow look in his eyes which made her frown marginally, though she remained quiet as the god stepped closer. He did a quick scan of the library before focusing on Andromeda.

"Hey Andy …" he said softly before glancing to Medusa. "… Medusa."

"Jason," the pair replied together before quieting down to wait for what the primordial needed of them, or more specifically, Andromeda.

"So," he started as he ran his head through his hair. "I was wondering if … if you could do a check for me before I head out for _that_ mission."

Medusa raised an eyebrow in curiosity before looking to Andy but the goddess gave her a 'later' look.

"Are you sure?" Andy asked with clear concern even as she flagged down one of her birds.

"Yes," he replied with a slight slump to his shoulders. "It needs to be done. You know as well as I do that the oceans are the only dangerous place for us right now. If we don't want this war to draw out for decades then we need to destabilize Atlantis"

"But … of all the ways to do this," Andy started but Jason interrupted.

"And this would get the results the fastest."

Andromeda looked a little annoyed with him but pushed it off with a sigh as she took a new tablet from one of her birds. Medusa noted that this tablet had a gold marker meaning 'Mystic' or godly but what was strange about it was that the heart at the edge wasn't the more common pink or white or the rare gold as most of the other tablets. This one was a deep blue and most alarmingly had actual cracks running through the little heart. Then, as Andromeda tapped the screen to life, a name appeared which surprised Medusa as she leaned closer to see.

"Still heartbroken," Andromeda said with her own sad sigh before tapping the screen to make it go dark and handing it to her waiting bird. "She'll be susceptible enough if you know how to behave," she added with a grimace of distaste that Jason mirrored before he nodded and turned around.

As he started to walk he paused when Andy spoke up.

"Jason … why did you volunteer for this mission?" Andy asked softly as the retreating god stiffened.

He remained silent for a minute before he asked, "Tell me … what is Eos feeling for me right now?"

That made Andy frown but she still signaled to her birds nonetheless. In less than a minute she had another different tablet, also with golden markers and glowing red hearts. She tapped them to get a quick read and frowned before giving the tablet back and looking to Jason's back.

"Well, to put it bluntly, horny and wondering how to get you in her pants."

Jason nodded without looking at them. "I thought as much." He then continued walking and soon left the office, the sound of the door closing echoing throughout the tower.

There was silence for several minutes before Medusa looked to Andy. "What was that all about? I didn't know there were any other missions going on besides securing contacts with the Canadian and possibly British government and bringing in a few more of the stronger titans like Selene and Helios."

"It was part of the council discussion last night," Andromeda answered as she frowned at the door. "Like Jason said, the oceans are dangerous for us right now. Poseidon has a full kingdom and army, not to mention that Oceanus wasn't caught again, and then there's _them_ ," she practically growled making Medusa flinch as the slight building of divine pressure around the goddess. Luckily she reigned it in quickly but not before thoroughly reminding Medusa that though she was strong enough to fight gods, she still held no candle to any member of the council. "But any kingdom will always have those discontent with the rulers over time, especially with the history of violent take overs prevalent in our particular history. Jason simply volunteered to sow more seeds of doubt and mess up their Sea Court."

"So he's willingly going to find her and try to seduce her?" Medusa asked incredulously. That wasn't at all like the Jason she'd come to know in the years spent training together.

"I wish he hadn't … but he might be one of the few who can. She's never personally met him so she won't recognize him plus, as much as it saddens me to say, he's one of the few that might be able to relate to her," Andy explained. "Even after what Hemera said, he's still keeping his heart closed off to Love and I'm guessing something went on with Eos that made it worse."

"But how could Eos make it worse?" Medusa asked. "I mean, she's so warm and bubbly and soothing … like the mornings!"

Andy snorted at the reference to that goddess' domain before continuing. "Yes and I thought hanging out with her could help Jason and it was for a while but, well, it looked like she was more of a fangirl than genuinely interested. I hadn't really checked up until now but it was pretty obvious that she was feeling more lust than anything and Jason already had to deal with that during his hero years, especially after the wars. With his own heart break and then all that attention for the wrong reasons, I guess he's starting to give up hope on finding that special someone that wants him for him."

Medusa remained silent at that, looking to the door as well, before sighing and then returning her attention to Andy. "Okay … well it's his decision in the end and as long as he can live with it, we can't really comment. As for you, we still have two queens to speak to."

Andromeda groaned but didn't put up a fight as Medusa continued to drag her on. She was not looking forward anymore to this conversation than the goddess was but it needed to be done soon, otherwise things might only get worse for Andromeda and then spill over to the council as well…

* * *

 **With Rhea**

Rhea sat on her throne as she slowly tapped a finger on the arm rest, her face giving away nothing as she looked down as Andromeda, still in mortal height, and the meek and quiet Medusa standing next to her in silent support. Rhea glanced to the equally stoic Hestia sitting on her throne off to the side with Percy's throne between them. As for the king himself, he was currently with Lupa and checking on something with his wolves in northern Norway.

She'd listened silently as Andromeda had come to them with the egging on of Medusa to explain her plight to them. Whatever good mood she'd previously had for the day went up in smoke and now her throat felt dry as she contemplated her fellow goddess. Andromeda kept her head tilted down and barely dared to make any eye contact as she squirmed under their gaze. Right now it wasn't a friendly atmosphere. This wasn't Rhea and Hestia, two of the warmest and friendliest goddesses that gave a comforting presence with smiles and care, the ones anyone could approach for a friendly ear and support. This was Queen Rhea and Queen Hestia, firm rulers and fighters hardened in the flames of war and millennia of backstabbing politics.

Queens capable of making hard decisions if needed, rulers willing to offer in equal parts mercy and safety to those truly deserving of it … or being the executioners to those beyond redemption. And right now, they were the wives that just had a goddess ask them to willingly allow their king and husband to cheat, going against his vows sworn to Styx and Chaos herself. Rhea wasn't sure about Hestia, but her own initial reaction that she'd mercilessly stomped down when Andy explained what she wanted from Percy had been to snarl and put the goddess in her place.

She didn't care at the moment that this was Andromeda, Percy's sister that she helped raised and loves, the girl that had helped them in their own romance. Right now she was feeling slightly hurt and almost betrayed that Andromeda had grown feelings for Percy, even if it really wasn't her fault. She was also angry at the suddenness of the situation. Why couldn't have Andromeda approached sooner and slowly brought up that she was growing feelings for Percy so that Rhea could have given it time and adjusted instead of suddenly all but barging in and passively pleading to sleep with Percy.

She could feel how her jaw tightened at the thought as her eyes narrowed to slits. She knew she was both territorial and possessive, there was no denying that. It hadn't been easy coming to terms with knowing at first that she'd have to share Percy and a large part of her willingness to share had been knowing that Percy had genuine feelings for Hestia beforehand even if he hadn't been aware. She would have never willingly harmed him by forcing him to choose and even until Hestia had actually arrived, Rhea had her doubts about it all even if she wanted Percy to be happy.

But now her temper was high and she was doing all she could to keep her nails from turning into gleaming claws capable of tearing apart even the toughest drakon scales. She gave a side glance to Hestia, impressed with how calm the goddess looked even if Rhea could see the slightest wisps of steaming drifting off Hestia's head and shoulders. Deciding that she couldn't trust her voice at the moment she sent a mental probe at Hestia to open a private conversation with her. It took merely a second before the communication was established.

' _So … how are you feeling about this?'_ she asked tightly even within her mind.

' _Holding it in for now,'_ was the response. ' _I … I don't want to be angry with her … it's just …'_

 _'_ _I know, I feel it too. But what do we tell her for now?'_

 _'_ _Well I'm certainly not going to just smile and say go ahead right now. In fact I really want to say the opposite and not in a very nice way either,'_ Hestia quipped back as she glanced to Rhea.

' _So what? Send her away for the moment?'_

 _'_ _It may be for the best … otherwise we might say or do something that we'll really regret. Not to mention it will hurt Percy if we do.'_

Rhea mentally sighed before nodding and cutting the connection as she returned her full attention to Andromeda, noticing for the first time that the young goddess' eyes were getting watery as she still looked at the floor. Rhea knew Andromeda could feel the anger rolling off them and was probably assuming the worst … and Rhea wasn't sure if her assumption was unfounded at the moment. So she took a deep breath before speaking, her tone steady yet cold.

"I'll be honest Andromeda, I'm not happy about this. I can't say yes …" she raised a hand as Andromeda finally looked up at them, the hurt clearly in her eyes but she remained silent. "… I'm not saying no either. Not at the moment anyways but you've given us a lot to think about so I think it's best that you give us some space for a while."

She didn't say any more as Andromeda nodded weakly before slowly turning, whispering something to Medusa, and then flashing away back to their home above the planet. Medusa gave them a meek look before dissolving into shadows as well, leaving the queens alone for the time being. They remained quiet for a minute or two before Hestia waved her hand to erect a barrier locking in sound and from anyone entering the throne room. It wasn't by any means a barrier strong enough to stop any of the other council members from entering but it did send the message 'Private conversation' loud and clear.

It took another minute or so before Hestia broke the tense silence … and not in an expected way. She all but roared as she slammed her hand on her armrest as the flames in the hearth erupted like a geyser, turning the throne room into an oven but Rhea didn't really care at the moment. She focused on keeping the Earth steady lest she unleash all manner of earthquakes across the globe even though she could feel a few active volcanoes getting more active. The hearth kept raging for a while as Rhea trained on her breathing, willing herself to calm down as Hestia finally started to settle as well.

Looking at her sister wife now, Rhea noted how feral she looked with her newly gained fangs displayed in a vicious snarl, her crimson glowing eyes and steaming red tips of her hair, her dainty nails having elongated into scarlet talons with the slightest fringe of scales along her knuckles. Rhea's own claws had finally come out in their golden glory and she could feel how her hair had become wilder to resemble that of a mane. ' _Between the two of us throwing a tantrum we could level most of human civilization,'_ she thought darkly as they reigned themselves in, Hestia looking as tired as Rhea suddenly felt.

"What are we going to do?" Hestia asked softly after her draconic features had receded and the hearth had returned to normal.

"I don't know," Rhea replied as she looked at her lap.

"But we have to do something, not ignore this," Hestia continued as she got up and slowly started to pace the throne room. "You heard it yourself. Her domains are acting up and it's starting to affect her."

"I know and I get that … it's just," Rhea stopped as she looked at Hestia. "There is more to this than letting Percy cheat to sate Andromeda's needs."

"He wouldn't anyways," Hestia said. "His loyalty is still his defining feature, even if he doesn't give it away like free candy anymore. And his sister needs him …"

"She wouldn't be his sister if they went that way. Not to mention it isn't as easy or simple as it was with you and me being lovers as well as sister wives. You and I spent a grand total of twelve hours being mother and daughter. One when you were born, spar minutes in the rare times we met during the war and even that was at a distance, another one or so after the war before the titans were locked away, and that one dinner in the House of Night. It was weird at first but we didn't have anything in the past to go on," Rhea cut in sharply. "Percy and Andromeda on the other hand have _decades_ being siblings and unlike Andromeda, Percy isn't a Love god capable of having his feelings shift like hers. And we don't know if he even feels like that towards her so even if we allowed it, who's to say he would actually go through with it."

"But we know that Percy is always willing to help those that need him. Even if he doesn't feel like that towards her, he still would just to help her," Hestia retorted.

"Yes and he would make himself guilty. You saw how serious he was with his vows to us, to remain faithful and caring. Even if we pushed him to do it, and that is a very big _if_ , he would still berate himself for touching another woman, not to mention he was never the sort of guy to go with a one night stand."

"But it wouldn't be a one night stand," Hestia replied as she paused to look at the hearth. "All of us need to connect with our domains and give in fully at least once to all the emotions and concepts connected to them but being separated from our domains can be just as bad."

"Yes and I don't know whether that makes it better or worse," Rhea said as she rubbed her temple.

"There something more about this bothering you, isn't there?" Hestia suddenly asked making Rhea snap her head up to look at her. "You got too angry, too quickly. I saw how you almost lashed out within minutes of Andromeda asking to be with Percy before she explained why. So, what's bothering you in particular?"

Rhea held her gaze for a while as she thought about it. Sure, it was millennia in the past but it would seem that it was relevant again. She sighed before nodding and then beginning to explain.

"I once dealt with similar things back in my tenure as queen of the Titans. First of all I was given like some damn prize to Kronos by my mother …"

"And now both have faded," Hestia quipped with a predatory smirk which Rhea mirrored.

"Thankfully but at the time, I tried to appease mother and make do with it. However, because of that I was basically docile and submissive all the time which lead to several … issues." Hestia raised an eyebrow before motioning for Rhea to go on. "Kronos was a controlling and jealous ass. He felt entitled to me and wouldn't allow me to even get close to other men on friendly means, however he only really paid attention in his bouts of jealousy, otherwise he was content to have me home while I knew he was off bedding whatever slut opened up for him just because he was king."

Rhea took a pause to collect herself and retract her claws as the memories surfaced.

"It hurt, knowing I was doing so much for him only to be tossed aside like that but I tried to tolerate it. However, what really started to piss me off was that some of those women actually had the nerve to parade the fact that my _husband_ preferred their company to mine. Even if I wasn't egotistical, it still hurt to know I was a laughing stock that couldn't keep her own husband in her bed, that I wasn't even properly respected beyond being cordial on important events while tolerating every back-handed insult sent my way," she growled as she got up and started pacing.

"Even got to the point that I actually snapped and nearly beat to death one goddess … she certainly wasn't receiving compliments on her beauty again," she added darkly. "But now it might just start again …"

"What do you mean?" Hestia asked with a tilt of the head.

Rhea sighed while running a hand through her hair. "What I mean is that you, me, the council, what we do has more significance that just our laws and maintaining our domains. We may not like it but we are also keyed into the politics of the Mystic world now and soon the Mortal world. We have to maintain certain stances and behavior from now on, otherwise we might appear weak."

Noting Hestia's frown Rhea continued on will looking her sister-wife in the eyes.

"Let's be realistic here. We didn't create Mount Cartier and this city from the pure goodness of our hearts and every single resident of the city should know that. It is a power move, a declaration, and a foothold for what comes next. The same as not all the gods coming here are because they believe in us or for a Utopia. They saw the play at hand and followed along for their own reasons whether it was safety, a chance to increase their own position, or a thirst to watch Olympus burn. Regardless, they are just as many selfish reasons as there are altruistic and at the center of it all is the council. We rule by example, and if that means being cold and ruthless if the situation demands it, then so be it."

Rhea paused as she sat back down on her throne and fixed Hestia with a hard look.

"So what happens if we draw back and allow Andromeda what she wants? What's to stop other goddess, and you know there are several, from trying as well? And what's worse is that we would have to tolerate the behavior as long as they don't actually do anything unless we want to make ourselves out to being jealous bitches."

"But it would be known why Percy had to do it," Hestia interjected only for Rhea to shake her head.

"It wouldn't matter. Gods can be just as flawed and selfish as any mortal. Remember, give an inch, they take a mile. It would send a message that we aren't equal to our king, that we are simply his, and he is free to do as he wishes. Even with the reasons it would paint us in the same light as Zeus, Hera, and Aphrodite. The king taking what he wants, the queens in this case being forced to bear with it in resignation, and the slut using her domain as an excuse to bed whoever she wants." Rhea raised her hand to stop Hestia from interrupting. "It doesn't matter if that isn't the truth, gods are petty and they will gossip just to entertain themselves. Why do you think Percy had been planning with Nyx for decades how to keep the gods busy rather than letting them be a population of lazy, overpowered and overfunded college students running around and causing havoc with their terrible birth control? We hate it but the fact of the matter is that appearance matters now."

"And accepting Andromeda will have consequences beyond just her relationship with Percy," Hestia agreed as she actually sat of Percy's thrown to sit next to Rhea.

They both felt Percy's consciousness pass over them to check before leaving again, knowing he was fine with them sitting on his throne from time to time.

"Yes … and we have to consider if those consequences are worth it or not," Rhea replied as both sat in silence, stewing in their own thoughts.

They were silent for several minutes until Hestia took Rhea's hand to get her attention and once Rhea was looking, Hestia began.

"What if we make it another power play?" she asked with an odd glint in her eyes.

"Such as?" Rhea asked with a small frown.

"Well … letting Andromeda sleep with Percy on a regular basis would undermine our authority and could also weigh Percy down with guilt, right?" Rhea nodded as she waited for Hestia to get on with it. "But what if we also had a similar deal?"

"Are you asking to get your own lover!?" Rhea asked in mix of shock and horror. "You would actually consider letting another man touch you!?"

"Of course not!" Hestia snapped back with obvious anger over Rhea even considering she would do such a thing. "I'll happily scream that I'm Percy's, no one else!" She then took a moment to collect herself while still glaring slightly at Rhea. "However … after our first night, things changed between us. We aren't just married to Percy but each other as well," Hestia continued with a faint, silvery blush at the end as she squeezed Rhea's hand affectionately.

Rhea relaxed and smiled at that, even going as far as leaning forward and giving Hestia a small kiss that was gently returned for a few seconds before breaking apart. It had honestly been an in-the-moment decision to kiss Hestia during that night, mostly to tease Percy but after Hestia had taken charge along with Percy, Rhea had been more than happy to opening up their relationship to be an honest three-way. A slightly embarrassing conversation and morning sex had settled it and Rhea can honestly say the three had never been happier. It practically eliminated any jealousy over who got more time with Percy and allowed all of them to truly bond to each other.

"Okay …" Rhea said in a pleased sigh as some of her earlier tension dissolved with the kiss. "So what do you mean with a similar deal."

"Well, if we look at it from an honest standpoint, Percy is the only one that is strictly straight," Hestia explained getting Rhea to snort.

"We could just turn ourselves into the opposite gender and let Percy get a feel for being on the receiving end," she joked … though she might just bring up the idea some time just to see.

"Huh," was Hestia's reply even if Rhea could tell she was thinking about it judging by the growing blush. "Anyways, I doubt that would mean he would want anyone other than us but that aside, Percy's straight and we're not. So, who's to say he should be the only one to ah … enjoy the perks of sleeping with another goddess."

"Are you … suggesting we join in on these sessions?" Rhea asked with a raised eyebrow to which Hestia nodded before raised her finger.

"Think about it, if anything, Percy is fair. He doesn't like having things handed to him, especially if he doesn't feel he earned it. Not that I would ever even dream of asking him to, but if we wanted to be allowed to sleep with other men just because he can with other women, then he would. He would hate it but he would tolerate it if we demanded it. However, what's to say that we can't simply be part of this."

"I can't believe it," Rhea murmured in near awe. "To think I managed to corrupt you so quickly, I made Nyx proud!" she squealed while wiping away a non-existent tear getting slap on the shoulder from Hestia.

"Okay miss shameless but on a more serious note," Hestia continued as Rhea chuckled slightly. "Like you said, the image is important and we would have to find a way to stop from being undermined and having any old hussy trying to get our man so, why not make it so it's not Percy's lover but _our_ lover."

"So making Andromeda a concubine?" Rhea asked with a slight bit of distaste. That might not go over so well and it might still put Andromeda in a bad light.

"Not to stereotype her but she _is_ a Love goddess. I might not have liked Aphrodite but I was around enough to hear about how gods with the love domain are rarely limited to one sexual preference. And it would be her decision too … and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find her attractive."

"But we'd also still have to go back and convince Percy about this whole thing and in this scenario, his fidelity isn't working with us, not to mention our vows," Rhea pointed out.

"Well, we could go to Styx and even contact Lady Chaos to adjust our vows enough to allow only someone approved by all three of us to be our lovers."

"Lovers? As in plural?" Rhea asked with narrowed eyes.

"We both know that there are some others that genuinely love Percy like us," Hestia replied with a sigh. "It would be at least fair to offer the option to some of them rather than let some get resentful."

"Oh Chaos … look at us, one minute considering murder and now we are planning to form a harem of all things for ourselves and our husband," she moaned as she rubbed her temple.

"It really does seem that Percy has the shittiest luck and the luck of the devil at times," Hestia giggled.

"At least we know he'd be able to handle multiple women," Rhea purred as she recalled Percy's behavior during their first night in their new house.

The predatory glint in his eyes and how he radiated dominance as he held her down and took her. A delicious shudder ran up her spine just at the memory … and the morning after when Percy was on top of Hestia and truly showed the draconic goddess who was truly the one in control. ' _Gods I might just jump him next time I see him,'_ she thought as she eyed Hestia and wondered if she could get away with a quickie before any of the others in the council returned from wherever they were.

"We should meet up with Percy," Hestia said, snapping Rhea out of her perverted train of thought.

Hestia waved her hand to disperse the barrier much to Rhea's chagrin but before she could comment on her little plan they both noticed Nico walking in looking oddly pale. Odd considering his normal pale was more of an other-worldly glow, now he just plain looked saw-a-ghost pale, as ironic as that was.

"Nico?" Hestia asked making the demi-primordial start as if he hadn't noticed their presence before… How he didn't see two, hundred foot goddesses was beyond Rhea.

"Oh, hey Hestia, Rhea," he said absentmindedly as he looked to Andromeda's throne and frowned at the apparent lack of said goddess. "By the way, do you girls know where Andy is?"

Rhea and Hestia shared a glance before looking back to the heir of the Pit. "She's … busy at the moment. Why, did you need something?"

"Ah … well … umm …" Nico muttered as he shuffled his feet and getting the goddesses more curious by the second. "Well … it's just … I needed Andy advice on something."

"And that would be?" Hestia asked as she leaned forward. "You could just ask us to see if we could help."

Nico remained silent for a few minutes while he opened and closed his hands, muttering to himself. He then finally turned his head up to look at them.

"Umm … I need some advice because …" he paused as he took a deep breath, getting Hestia and Rhea at the edge of their seats in anticipation.

"… Styx proposed to me."

"…"

"…"

"WHAT!?"

* * *

 **Author's Rant: And that's the bomb dropped! So, any thoughts on every shock of this chapter? Let me hear your thoughts!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	24. Making Choices

**Author's Note: Forgive me for I have sinned! I know, terribly late chapter but it was a lot more complex than I originally thought but I am glad with the results if I do say so myself. Monster of a MEGA chapter to appease you all, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

Nico flinched as his ears were assaulted by the combined voices of his queens, both looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. He couldn't really blame them seeing as how freaking random the whole thing was. Still, after giving a mild glare while making a point to rub his ringing ears, both goddesses settled down with the grace to look slightly embarrassed though Hestia reached down and placed her open palm before him. The invitation being clear, he made a quick hop onto her hand before she lifted him up to their eye level.

"Sorry," Hestia said in a softer voice, knowing that their size made any tone above inside-voice painful for anyone of regular size.

"So … mind repeating that?" Rhea asked next as she leaned over the armrest of her throne to get closer.

He sighed with a nod. "Yeah … so Styx proposed to me."

"Why?" Hestia asked next as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "She does know that you don't swing that way right?"

"Not like I hide it," Nico defended while resisting from crossing his arms petulantly.

Rhea and Hestia shared a glance before Rhea asked, "So … how exactly did it go?"

He almost groaned at their obvious curiosity and need to settle their confusion. Hell, he was still confused. Regardless he told them …

* * *

 **The Night Before After Their Meeting**

As the council members used their favored forms of teleportation, the king and his queens quickly dissolving into shadows and likely heading up to their home, Jason going off to possibly hunt down his new 'target' and Thalia leaving to finally meet with Aeolus and two of the cardinal winds leaving the West Wind to still be found, Phoebe went to likely Delos as she still favored the island, and lastly Andromeda returning to her office for her project.

As Nico walked down his long flight of stairs to reach the throne room floor, he noted that Styx was looking directly at him. He didn't find it odd considering she'd been glancing at him repeatedly for some time. He'd admit that it got him curious but he'd left her to approach at her own leisure. Now though, as he got to the floor she got up from her throne and slowly walked to him, shrinking with every step. As she walked he couldn't help but admire her. Sure, he was firmly in the rainbow camp but it didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate feminine beauty and being in a council with arguably the most beautiful women on the planet tended to draw his gaze.

Rhea, the epitome of a queen with a regal stature and grace. Her body being the perfect, curvy balance of athletic performance and natural beauty giving homage to her domain of Nature and the ideal of a physically perfect woman. Hestia, the embodiment of Fire making her a _hot_ goddess mixed with her demure and gentle personality that could melt even the coldest hearts. Then there was Thalia, unyielding and fierce like her Storm domain. She carried a sense of danger and slight haughtiness that made her the center of attention without even trying. Andromeda, in contrast to Rhea being nature's ideal, took on the ideal of what sentient beings, predominantly humans, wanted or unconsciously looked for. The curviest of the council, her every motion and stance screaming sensuality, her voice sweeter than honey even on a bad day.

It was at those times Nico thanked Chaos Andy's personality wasn't anything like Aphrodite, otherwise even he would be putty in the goddess' hands. Next came Phoebe, whose domains culminated into the strands of Fate, who carried a natural allure to herself. Phoebe was not the most beautiful of the council, or the curviest, or fiercest but with her there was a supernatural and exotic appeal. A sense of mystery, an ocean of unasked questions and hints around her, that mocha skin contrasting her glowing amber eyes that simply drew you in with the need to know. And lastly was Styx, the most quirky of the lovely ladies of the council. Usually teasing, bordering flirty with any and all to the point she kept a tally of how many gods and goddesses alike she could make blush throughout the day.

Being a more petite beauty, Nico would usually describe the goddess as impish with her slim build and thin waist, modest bust and proportionally long legs leading to one of the tightest rears he'd ever seen. Big doe eyes holding unusually sharp tones of venom green and onyx black in equal swirls, her long green and black streaked hair that always looked like she'd just showered barely a minute ago. If he was being honest with himself he found her more attractive than the other goddess. Maybe it was her playful personality even though he could literally feel the darker aura hidden underneath thanks to her domain of Hatred that was so similar to his own as the heir of the Pit. Maybe it was that since he liked guys he really couldn't appreciate the soft, marshmallow goodness of big boobs.

It was a coin toss really.

Still, whatever the reason his eyes still watched as Styx slowly walked towards him, his eyes catching the slight sway of her hips shown by her snug chiton. She didn't stop until she was only a few feet away at best, now looking up at their difference in height. They waited in silence, or at least Nico waited considering it was Styx that approached him since she obviously had something to tell him. However, she looked unusually nervous given by the slight shuffle of one of her feet and her hesitant glances. ' _Odd, since when is Styx ever shy about anything?'_ he wondered before deciding to break the silence himself.

"So Styx," he started, already berating himself for sounding so bland. "Can I help you with something?"

"Ah well," she started, the momentary flash of relief passing her eyes thanks to him speaking first. "I just … wanted to ask you something."

Another odd pause ensued until Nico cleared his throat.

"Okay, shoot," he said casually, trying the make the atmosphere a little more comfortable.

Styx fidgeted with the rope tied around her waist.

"Umm … how are things with you and Will?"

That got him to start, not expecting that question in the slightest. Generally the others that have known him the longest simply talk to him in general and only going onto the subject of Nico's love-life if Nico brought it up himself.

"Ah, good. We're good. He just started his resignations from the practice in New York and will be ready to move here within the week. He's over the moon since his focus was split between athletic traumas and child care thanks to being the resident doctor in the camp so long. I'm sure Leto will appreciate having such a friendly doctor on call," he answered getting a small smile from her.

"And are you going to give him an apple?" she asked softly.

Nico blinked for a moment in thought. He'd already broached the subject with Will in terms to their mortality. Nico was already partially immortal and he honestly didn't want to watch Will retain mortality and age on until passing. But he knew Will did have some reservations about immortality, partially in his respect to fair play and feeling like it was being given away rather than earned. Another being that immortals tended to have really loose pants, as so eloquently portrayed by their extensive family tree. Nico knew Will was scared of potentially growing into something similar to Apollo even though Nico highly doubted it and then Will would always answer in an oddly pessimistic way.

'Sure, maybe not now or in even in a century. But that's immortality. There will always be enough time to change and possibly make that mistake.'

But Nico could understand his worries. It was the same reasons Percy had constantly rejected the Olympians and their demand of him joining them. He didn't want to become separated and distant from the very mortals he grew up with and spilled blood protecting, fearing that immortality would change him. Still, shaking his head of the thoughts he refocused on Styx.

"Yeah, I was thinking of giving him an apple soon after he gets here. I would rather be assured that he'll be okay on the battlefields since I know he'll want to fight too and I don't know if I could handle him dying. At least as an immortal if he gets taken out I'll wait a few decades for him to reform in Tartarus."

Styx nodded at his answer before asking, "And have either of you thought of marriage?"

That got Nico to blush slightly before giving a hesitant shrug. "I ah … know that it's on his mind since I found some hints …"

"You found the ring and questioned him about it but he couldn't lie to save his life," she interrupted with a grin to which he gave a defeated sigh and nodded.

"Yeah but I could tell he wanted to do it at his own pace so I dropped it for now."

Styx hummed at that and looked towards the warm hearth for a while as Nico glanced at her again, noting how the flames seemed to reflect in her intense eyes.

"What about you?" he suddenly asked making her give him a side glance. "Have you considered marriage to anyone?"

Styx returned her eyes to the fire before answering, her voice surprisingly stern. "I have actually … but I find myself a little hesitant about the whole thing."

"Why?" he asked curiously as he shifted around to be standing right beside her.

"Hmm … mostly due to some personal quirks and preference. After all, it's no secret that I simply love flirting for the sake of flirting, even to the point I risked getting mauled by Rhea one time by getting a little close with Percy during a training session," she said with a grin.

"Pretty ballsy, I'll give you that," he agreed, knowing that Percy and Rhea were equally territorial of each other and given Hestia's actions lately, the fiery goddess was as well.

"Yep but that's just it. I like flirting but that doesn't mean I'm really interested in doing much more. Sure, there have been a few lovely specimens from time to time that give me that special itch but more often than not, I'm just not interested."

"So then why bother looking into it?" he asked. "If marriage is too much of a hassle then don't marry and if you get that itch once in a blue moon, than find that lucky guy (or lady) and scratch it."

"That's just it though, I don't want to sleep with just anybody," she said with a sigh. "I do want to have that special someone and have love but even then, I'm just not a sexual creature like our king and queens," she added with a snicker and he snorted in agreement.

Everyone knew that Percy and Rhea were both stamina monsters on the battlefield and it obviously translated into bedroom activities. He wasn't sure if he was more impressed with the fact that Percy's appetite was more than enough to screw both his wives into orgasmic puddles or that it took Hestia barely a few days to match up to them from the get go.

Both continued to snicker for a moment before Styx cleared her throat and continued. "Anyways, the point is that if I did have a husband, I wouldn't really be able to meet the physical needs often enough and that would be more of a punishment than anything else to whoever that is."

"What if you tweak your vows so that he could find release somewhere else?" he asked to which she frowned.

"I don't like the idea of being cheated on, even if it's for a reason," she replied curtly before sighing.

Nico scrunched his brows for a moment in thought, wondering how to get around Styx's quirks to find a working relationship. Obviously it would have to be someone that had interest in her just as she him/her but at the same time, it couldn't be someone wanting more activity that spare times but then again, immortals rarely had low libidos. Then again it would also need to be someone capable of dealing with Styx's teasing personality.

"What about a poly relationship like Percy, Rhea, and Hestia?" he asked getting Styx to look at him curiously. "You could marry two people and that way, they could satisfy each other."

"But who?" she asked as she suddenly turned towards him, her eyes seeming to glow as she zeroed in on him. "How many couples are out there that are willing to open up to a third? What's to say that I'll even like one, let alone both of them as is? And what if they marry just for the prestige of being married to a council member or maybe their mortal and want to be immortal as well?"

With each question Styx took a step towards him and Nico couldn't help but take a step back to mirror it. Her every light step sounded like a hammer fall to his ears, the slight sway of her hips like a hypnotic pendulum to his eyes. He stood nearly a foot taller and broader, his frame a testament to being hardened in the flames of war, his black and red tinged eyes normally pinning others to the spot as he observed them. Yet for all that he felt the smaller of the two and could only back away and yield as Styx came forward.

Then suddenly he stumbled and couldn't stop himself from falling back on his rear. He only got a moment to sit up before his heart leapt into his throat as Styx sat on him, straddling him as her eyes bored into his. His body suddenly felt like ice with only the parts making contact with her burning, especially her hands pressed against his chest.

"You know," she said softly even as her eyes retained their steely semblance. "Of all the men I've spotted from the rare times I came to the surface when I could, none have every given me the 'itch' like you have, Nico De Angelo."

Her hands started to slide down as she wiggled ever so slightly to get more comfortable and Nico found a strange though not unpleasant heat over his crotch. He tried to ignore it though as he refocused on her face, his hands getting clammy and throat dry at her little confession.

"I know you are very much in love with Will and I would love to be there for your vows someday however, I can't help but wonder …" She then leaned a little closer, her breath washing over his face and her body seeming to press down on him more. "With your suggestion and all, if you two would be willing to consider me?"

His eyes widened as he looked at her heart-shaped face, glancing at the little dainty lips speaking such dangerous words.

"And I can't help but feel that you aren't against … feminine delights … as much as you say," she almost teased as she slowly rolled her hips making him groan before he suddenly looked down in alarm.

He wasn't a stranger to female teasing and even some touching, what with the more daring girls in his years after the war trying to seduce him along with the few openly gay men. Hell, the old heroes once threw a party to try and get over some of the sadder feelings of the previous years thanks to Percy's disappearance. Most got roaring drunk and started a raunchy truth-or-dare game that got some interesting results; Will ended up making out with a broom, Jason and Frank shared a kiss (Nico's idea, he just didn't think they'd do it), Calypso took Leo to a closet and forgot to come back out, somehow Hazel and Piper ended up cuddling topless, and of all things, Reyna gave Nico a lapdance.

It was then that she showed the kind of movement and flexibility one would expect from a child of Aphrodite could have along with Nico gaining some appreciation for the softness of a female's rump but even then he still didn't bat an eye. He'd never reacted to a girl more than maybe a second glance and remaining at a distance but Styx was making him react right now. The goddess even went as far as giving him a little smirk of victory before she backed her face up while Nico was still mentally reeling.

"Now that we know that it wouldn't just be a token marriage given that there is attraction between us," she said as she gazed down while intentionally wriggling again but this time he bit back the groan and desire to grab her hips. "I was wondering if you'd like to marry me Nico De Angelo?"

He was gapping like a fish as he looked at her, too stunned with everything that happened in the last five minute to form a coherent thought. She was proposing? To him? What about Will? Wait … but she meant a pair, so him and Will? But would Will even—

Styx giggled breaking his train of thought as she looked down at him, her eyes shining with a familiar mirth.

"I don't expect an answer right now," she said as she leaned closer again. "I know this is sudden and we don't really have feelings for each other … Well, I might have what's considered a crush," she admitted with a light blush. "But still. Just think about it and talk to Will. Who knows, maybe this will turn out better than either of us could have guessed."

With that she gave him was last flirty wink, a kiss on the cheek, and disappeared in a ball of green mist. Nico stared at the previously occupied space before glancing down at the bugle in his leather pants.

"Traitor," he growled at his offending organ before slumping back down and looking at the throne room ceiling currently mirroring the open night sky.

He sighed, wondering just what was he going to do about all this …

* * *

 **Present**

"And I just kinda stayed like that for the night and day," he finished, sitting cross legged on Hestia's palm while said goddess and Rhea picked their mouths off the floor.

"Wow …" Hestia murmured. "… Go Styx."

Rhea snorted in amusement before focusing her eyes on Nico. "So … have you come to any decision at all?"

Nico blinked at her for a moment before sighing while slumping his shoulders. "I don't know, that's why I wanted to ask Andy."

Both goddesses hummed in thought while exchanging glances. All the while Nico looked between the pair before asking softly, "How was it that you three came to your decision?"

"Well," Rhea started hesitantly. "It's complicated. I mean, me and Percy were already together and Andy tipped me off about his feelings for Hestia. If I hadn't known, I can guarantee that it would have taken a lot longer before I would have agreed to try being polyamorous. In the end my love for him and willingness to compromise at first was what helped but we also had years to truly adjust to the idea before Hestia came into the picture. Even then it didn't really sink in until Hestia was with us."

"And we all know how I reacted initially," Hestia chimed in with an embarrassed blush that lessened when Rhea tugged her free hand and gave it an affectionate kiss on the knuckles. Nico couldn't help but smile at that, even if he wasn't really a romantic himself. Really his king and queens were the idols of a caring and honest relationship. Hestia sent Rhea a warm smile before returning to Nico. "Anyways, in the end Andy helped me too and I realized my feelings hadn't changed even knowing Percy wouldn't only be mine but I compromised too. Heck, now it's an honest three-way marriage rather than two wives splitting a husband and I wouldn't change that for all the world."

"But could Will and I do that?" he asked. "It has to be a mutual decision and then if so, what would our dynamic be? Obviously I'm gay and apparently bi when Styx is around much to my humiliation," he said while pointedly ignoring the snickers from the goddesses. "That's not to say that Will, will have the same inclination."

"His dad is the god of Bachelors," Rhea said with an eye roll. "I'm pretty sure that if it came down to it he could scrounge up a little willingness to mount our apparent vixen of a river goddess."

"So crass," Nico said sarcastically but the goddess only stuck her tongue out at him.

"Besides, think of all the kinky scenarios," Hestia added innocently getting a genuinely shocked look from Nico.

Where the hell did the proper and shy maiden go!?

"Anyways," Rhea interjected. "I think its best that you go and talk to Will about it. Things won't go anywhere if you don't discuss it first and it will give him a few days to stew on it before arriving."

"Might want to hurry incase Styx decides to test if she can get a reaction out of Will too," Hestia commented making Nico jump in her palm.

"Now I'm worried," he snarked as he prepared to jump off her palm but before that he asked them, "So what are you two doing now? I noticed the barrier but I didn't know if you two wanted to talk about it."

Rhea and Hestia shared another glance before Rhea answered.

"We have a few apparent complications to our love-life that needs addressing too. We're keeping it a little private for now but we'll let you and the council know later on."

"Besides, right now I think we're going to find Percy and drag him to the House of Night for a little … connection," Hestia added, her voice purring out the last word with such heat that even Nico had to blush.

' _Sweet Chaos, let Percy survive this night,'_ Nico prayed as he noted Rhea's saucy smirk, her fangs poking out of her lips.

He gave an awkward nod and salute before hopping off Hestia's palm and disappearing into the hearth with a slight burst of purple flames within the wreaths of golden and orange fire …

* * *

 **With Thalia**

Thalia … was pissed. Oh sure, near all powerful primordial goddess with domain of Sky and Storms. Capable of firing blots with more kick than that bastards Master stick without tiring in the slightest, taught by Nyx and the past council in everything from politics and war to home economics of all things, and if she wanted to be a little vain, a smoking hot body putting almost all other goddesses save for fellow members of the council to shame. Her own palace and servants at her beck and call, all the time in the world, and best of all, no more stupid oath of chastity. Granted the last benefit was in a tricky spot at the moment.

However! Now she wasn't just a warrior getting to run around in the woods, hunt and fight to her hearts content, and basically be a bit of a crass bitch when the mood suited her. Now she was a council member, a political representative and power with scary levels of authority. Damn shame that power, especially in the political and social sense, came with baggage and leashes. That meant that she couldn't break her foot off in Aeolus' ass as the pompous twat droned on and on, trying to weasel some benefits and deals for his neutrality or possibly moving to Mount Cartier. No thanks! Last thing she needed was to castrate him if he tried to put the moves on her again at home.

"I don't see why we need him anyways," she growled as she flashed to the House of Primordials and started walking up the steps to their villa. "It's not like he's even a heavy hitter and any storm spirits he releases can be tied down between me and Jason."

She scoffed as she mindlessly kicked her feet, unconsciously willing her storm boots to dissolve into anklets of crackling electricity and her clothes changing from a semi-formal chiton reaching past her knees and braided hair into a snug tank shirt and short shorts with her hair in a loose ponytail.

"Stupid, smug, spineless wind god," she muttered as she moved to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of chilled nectar from the fridge rather than snapping her fingers and willing it into existence.

She didn't really need to eat anymore but the familiar sensation calmed her down as the liquid energy settled into her stomach. She hummed as she glanced around the kitchen, wondering if she would cook regular food or just grab some ambrosia from the fridge as well but in the end shrugged and left towards the living room. As she walked she focused back on the planet and noticed that several of the protogenoi weren't on the surface at the moment. She could only feel Jason in Florida, Styx and Phoebe in their mountain, and Nico in New York.

"Wondering where Perce and his ladies are?" she mused, pointedly ignoring a small and familiar pang in her chest every time she thought about it. Damn feeling had been an annoying itch for the last two years (surface time).

She arrived at the living room and was about to lay back on large sofa and possibly turn on the TV when she caught some sniffling. She glanced around until noticing that the patio doors were open and just beyond Andromeda was sitting at the pool edge with her back to Thalia. She could also see the slight shake of her shoulders and caught another sniffle making her frown before she approached slowly. Andromeda seemed to be so out of it that she hardly noticed Thalia getting closer.

"Andy?" Thalia started after getting just within a few feet making Andy jump with a gasp.

She glanced back for a moment but then hastily turned her face away and rubbed at her eyes. Sadly for Andy, Thalia had clearly seen her puffy eyes and tear streaks.

"Andy, what's wrong?" she asked tenderly, waiting as the goddess finally, slowly, turned to face her again.

"N-nothing …" she mumbled.

Thalia didn't even validate that crummy lie with a response. She merely sighed as she got a little closer and sat beside Andy and let her feet sink into the pool as well with mild amusement as Andy gasped from the low voltage introduced to the water from Thalia's anklets. Finally settled she turned her face and stared at Andy in the eyes, silently demanding a proper answer this time.

The Love goddess seemed oddly defensive for a minute or two before sighing in defeat, her lips barely forming into a pout.

"I um … I'm sort of in trouble and might have made things worse," she said cryptically.

"With who and for what?" Thalia continued.

Andromeda glanced down at her lap hesitantly for a moment before taking a deep breath and answering. Suddenly it seemed as if some dam had broken and everything just came spilling out, at one point through sobs, at other times with Andy making the biggest goo-goo eyes Thalia had ever seen when she mentioned how she felt about Percy. It took a good hour or so thanks to Thalia interrupting several times with questions for clarifications. Who knew Love and Desire were such complicated domains?

Thalia always thought it just involved diving into every pair of pants and panties within sight given how Aphrodite behaved. ' _Damn, even after years without Artemis I still get a bitter taste whenever I think of that damn whore,'_ Thalia thought with a grimace as Andromeda finally tapered off.

"So let me get this straight," Thalia said after a full minute of silence. "You love Perce," she said avoiding using names and possibly drawing his attention. "… but in the romantic way…"

A shy nod.

"And not only that but of all things the very core of your Love domain is honed in on him as are all your domains. Now because of that you won't even stand the thought of being with anyone else."

Another firmer nod.

"And holding back is starting to hurt you but when you told our queens, they didn't take it too well."

"All things considered I think they took it extremely well," Andy muttered as she looked at the stars beyond their little floating island. "But I don't know if they'll be willing … or if Perce even feels that way about me."

Thalia snorted slightly drawing the other goddess' gaze before saying, "Are you sure you can't just wait it out and move on? I mean, is it really that bad or maybe you haven't found mister right?"

Andromeda gapped at her, in apparent shocked silence.

"Y-you think this is just a passing thing? Just a habit I can break?" she asked in an oddly cold voice making Thalia get the feeling that she might have said the wrong thing.

Andromeda suddenly stood up, glaring sharply at Thalia. "I see that huntress' teachings are still ingrained in you. Well news flash, I'm not that sham of a Love goddess and this isn't some passing thing. I love him, I always have, and it took my own powers acting up for me to realize it."

"And then what?" Thalia asked back, falling back on her usual stubbornness and familiar distrust of love deities in general. They just always seemed to cause all manner of discord around them and now the council was getting some of that drama barely a month in after being formed. "Who's to say that you won't have your love shift again then you'll just—"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as she jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fist that plowed into the marble she'd just been sitting on. She landed in a crouch and looked to see Andromeda's fist buried past the wrist in the miniature crater at the pool edge, the goddess giving Thalia a piercing glare.

"Let's get something clear," Andromeda said in a dangerous tone that immediately reminded Thalia of Percy during the rare times he was really pissed off. "Just because I can love multiple people doesn't mean I can't be faithful or only stay with one person. Being a Love goddess means I can adjust but once my feelings cement and are returned, they don't change. I don't love him because of my domain, it just means that I can't lie to myself and deny it like some others," she nearly spit the last words venomously while narrowing her eyes at Thalia.

She then slowly got up with her fist still clenched.

"Don't you dare call my feelings a bluff or a phase," she practically snarled before beginning to walk past Thalia and back into the villa. "And by the way, maybe you should rethink why _exactly_ you joined the Hunt in the first place." Then she was gone leaving Thalia confused as she narrowed her eyes.

What the hell did she mean by that? Everyone knew she joined to avoid the damn prophecy … even if it did leave her feeling guilty about dumping it all on Percy's shoulders. She'd have liked to be there for him and offer support … but then again he already had Annabeth at the time. And then he upped and disappeared without telling her and it hurt knowing he just left rather than being taken against his will or something. Only for them to be reunited and surprise! Another gorgeous woman on his arm. At least he had succeeded and was happy now and so was she … right?

* * *

 **With Jason**

The music was blaring into his ears as the strobe lights flashed across his face, his sky blue eyes reflecting the glow ominously from time to time. He watched as club goers moved back and forth, bodies rolling and grinding to the music. The smell of perfume and alcohol tinged with sweat filling the atmosphere. For his part Jason remained near the borders of the dance floor, a mortal tequila in hand as he rested coolly against a rail leading down the few steps into the dance floor proper.

His lips in a flat line as he took a sip, ignoring the obvious batted eyelashes and coy invitations for him to join into the dancing. Beauties of all sorts, from natural blondes and brunettes to exotic dyes of pink and neon blue, from the palest creamy skins down to the richest pigments of cocoa, he caught the gaze of all whether coming here alone or with a significant other. He scoffed at those though, having no personal interest in those spoken for even if the hypocrisy was not lost on him in his current pursuit.

 _'_ _Why was it that I volunteered for this again?'_ he wondered to himself as he looked to the dj booth, watching the skinny man as he bounced to the music, his hands in the air. ' _Oh yeah, because it wouldn't work with anyone else,'_ he answered himself with a bitter chuckle. Of the council members that were single, he was the only male and his target was confirmed to strictly be into the male form. That and his face wasn't personally known to the goddess making things easier.

He sighed again as he returned to his drink when he felt a pair of slender arms slowly wrap around his waist along with the scent of morning dew near the beach soothing him. He might not have liked his mission but he still couldn't keep the faint smile of his face as he partially turned to look down at her smiling face. The mortals around them saw her as a beauty befitting of a sailor's dreams. Heart shaped face, small nose, bright sea-green eyes, and plump lips all on a creamy skin and framed by waves of luscious dark hair reaching her back.

He could see past it all though, the Mist being little more than a thin veil he could dispel with a thought to see her exotic beauty for what it was. Her creamy skin gaining a slightly green hue, her chin and cheeks sharpening as teeth coming to fine points peaked out through her soft smile. Her hair darkening and carrying occasional streaks of dark blue. With her short blue dress generously hugging her every curve and displaying long and toned legs, he wasn't sure how the sea god could keep his hands off her.

Much to his amusement she'd named herself Amphora on his introduction. He knew she could tell he was far from a regular mortal but hadn't commented on it, possibly turning a blind eye to it in favor of trying to enjoy the night. She'd only asked for his name and to play her game, he'd gone with James, only a few letters away from his real name.

"Did you wait long?" she asked in a silky voice as she glanced at his drink.

"Not at all," he replied easily as he turned in her arms and used his free one to wrap around her.

She glanced down at his arm, the briefest moment on uncertainty flashing in her eyes before she hid it and smiled up at him coyly.

"Are you thinking of heading back to the dance floor?" she asked as she pressed herself a little closer, ignoring every jealous look directed at her much like how he ignored the male population of the club.

"Hmm, I was thinking about it," he lied as he set down his finished drink on a nearby table before using his freed hand to cup her chin while his arm tightened until she was pulled flush against him, even going as far giving a slight gasp at his boldness. "But I think I had my fill of just dancing."

There was a challenge in his eyes, a daring sort of danger that was enforced with a slight raising of his innate aura. It carried a near imperceptible wave of power and dominance that most mortals wouldn't notice but judging by how she shivered in his arms, she was very much aware of it. And going by how she bit her lower lip as she gazed up at him, she liked it.

He knew he had her at his whim in that moment, that she'd be vulnerable at this time and how his actions more than anything could draw her in until she gave in. It sickened him. For a moment he felt like those very Olympians he detested, knowing that many of them used their awareness and subtle ability to read mortal minds to have an unfair advantage in their conquests. But he bit it down with ruthless self-control. He'd made this bed and now he had to lay in it.

"Let's go somewhere … quieter," he whispered as he drew his face closer to hers.

She was almost quivering in his arms but she nodded nonetheless. He gave a soft grin at that and with his arm still around her waist, led her out of the club. A few hallways and flights of stairs later, they were in a reception hall. How convenient that the club was attached to a hotel with prime view of the Florida beaches. It took him a few minutes to guide her to his rented out suite, under the cover that he'd been in the state for a work trip.

The trip was mostly silent with both shooting quick glances at each other, neither sure how to go about this part … or if they really even wanted to. He was doing this for a mission, an ulterior motive, and though he tried to lie to himself about it, a way to get passed that damn hurtle that has been blocking him for years even before he dated Aphrodite's spawn. She was similar, wife cheated on and heartbroken for millennia, in a marriage that was not her own choice, left in a castle under the sea all but forgotten while her husband not only slept with others but sired child after child in his wake.

One forgoing his thoughts of love and true union, giving up on his 'old-fashioned' desire for courting before intimacy, the other resigned to her fate in a cruel world and desperately lying to herself in the need to stay faithful even as she teetered on the fine edge of finally rebelling against it all. Both hurting and broken, both using the other for a reason they couldn't admit to themselves.

Soon they arrived at his suite and opened up for her, letting his eyes trail her figure as she observed the pent house. It was rather simple yet stylish with ceramic tile covering the expanse and navy blue painted walls. A granite topped kitchen to the side, large living room with couch, loveseat, and large flat-screen TV. Close to the living room and divided by a waist high wall was a small dining room, further on being the doors leading to a balcony overlooking the marina. But it was to the door on his right that she moved, leading to the master bedroom.

He closed the door softly behind him, taking a moment to motivate himself to continue. It took him over a minute but he finally got himself to move, his steps feeling heavy and clunky with the clack of his leather boots. He went to his room, wondering what he'd gotten himself into but then his train of thought stopped once he looked in his room.

There she stood against the partially open glass door leading to his balcony just like the doors near the dining room. Her heels were kicked off and her gaze was locked firmly on the surf beneath, a gentle breeze caressing her raven locks. Even though he could only see the side of her face, from what he could tell, she seemed so care free at the moment. Without all her guilt and fears weighing on her slender shoulders, her sea-green eyes reflecting the beauty of the very seas that birthed her. If she was beautiful now he knew that within the seas she would be even more so, with the mere glamour removed and her legs turned into her natural mermaid tail.

He must have been staring for too long because Amphora turned to look at him, giggling softly before speaking in a teasing tone, "See something you like?"

' _Yes,'_ he thought but he only answered with a grin as he kicked off his boots and slowly made his way towards her. She looked at him with mixes of anticipation and slight fear, suddenly seeming so small and vulnerable to him. He couldn't explain it but he both hated and loved the sight. He wanted to see her strong and proud like the sea goddess he knew she could be but at the same time, it filled him with a primal sense of pride knowing that he could enact such a reaction from her.

With that in mind he carefully wrapped his arms around her. He gazed down into her eyes for a time before he slowly lowered his face to hers and claimed her lips. They were soft and supple, the taste sweet yet with a subtle tinge of salt. The kiss was soft and tender as he felt her gently wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as he tightened his arms around her. Soon the kiss started to become hungry, needy. His hands lowered until they cupped her soft rear, kneading the tender flesh eliciting a small moan from her.

That simple sound ignited a fire in his chest as he grabbed more of her flesh before hoisting her up, making her squeal as her legs wrapped around his waist and he took them to the bed. They didn't separate as he lowered her onto the bed, now their tongues dueling as her arms and legs kept him close. He could feel her own heart hammering away through their touching chests, the heat that was building between her legs and right over his crotch. He couldn't help but groan as he rubbed forward only to get a returning moan from her as her hands trailed through his hair.

He let his body move of its own accord, leaving his thoughts and doubts behind as he lost himself in the moment. Somehow along the way his shirt was tossed aside and his pants were open though still at his waist while her dress had been hiked up enough for her lacy panties to be in full view along with the top of her dress being pulled down enough for her breasts to mash against his naked chest. The warmth of her body, the silkiness of her skin, and her sweet taste was drowning his senses. So much so that he momentarily lost himself to his desire and in that moment moaned her name … her real name.

"Amphitrite."

It was soft, a candid whisper at most but it was enough for her to hear.

"So you know who I really am …" she whispered in a quivering voice as he broke their heated embrace enough to really look at her and find himself frozen.

Her cheeks were flushed golden, her glamour having fallen to reveal her tinged skin and heaving breasts, her hair like a dark halo around her head. However none of that truly caught his attention like what her eyes did. They were teary and quivering, showing her every uncertainty and fear. Of what she was doing, why, and what possible consequences would there be to this night. There was also the pain that she had kept so close to her chest for millennia bubbling out, desperately trying to break free in rebellion after so much heartbreak and empty promises. It was all there as clear as the brightest day he could bring and in that moment he knew one thing.

He couldn't bring himself to go farther.

He had a mission. Seduce Amphitrite, break the fidelity that had lasted the longest of any marriage within the Olympians, unravel the stability of Atlantis and so cripple their forces. Divide the sea kingdom between loyalty to their king, a conquering force, and the last dregs of loyalty to Amphitrite, daughter of Oceanus and actual royal of the sea.

But he couldn't do it. She hadn't asked to be in her place, she hadn't wanted to be with Poseidon but the choice was taken from her. Whisked away from her own sea gardens while her father fought the upstart Olympian, coerced into a marriage to spare her people and settle the last scraps of resistance against Poseidon. A captive within her own home.

Too long she had been used as a means for others … and he would not be one of them.

So with a gentle hand he slowly thumbed away the few tears that had started to fall down her cheeks.

"Yes," he said softly.

"Then why?" she asked in a whisper even as she leaning slightly into his touch. "You must know the danger touching me will bring you."

"And I could ask you the same," he replied. "Why now of all times? You rarely come to the surface as is and yet tonight you came with the obvious intention of breaking fidelity."

She looked away in shame for a moment, her eyes becoming stormy, before she returned her gaze to him.

"He's gone too far," she replied in a cold tone even though he could hear the quiver underneath. "I tried to stomach it every time he took on a new lover. Being free and wild like his oceans he claims," she scoffed. "However I could deal with it as long as his conquests and their lives stayed far away from mine but then all that business with one of his lovers began."

"You mean the murder of Mrs. Blofis," he cut in much to her apparent shock.

"You know?" she asked making him sigh as he sat back on his knees with her sitting up to look at him properly, never mind her exposed chest.

"Yes, it is not as well kept a secret as the Olympians think," he replied with a tired gaze. "And how do you know?"

"Hestia told a few days after it happend," was Amphitrite's simply reply before she glanced down for a moment and then continuing. "But yes, that was the sign of his changes. Something happened to him after that. Even if I never truly loved him, I can't say that he wasn't romantic and kind at times but … ever since that day he became colder. Cynical, more easily angered, and even more promiscuous. Then when Hestia disappeared he came back both enraged for his own failure to keep her safe and sad at her kidnapping."

She paused for a moment as she bit her lower lip before looking at him.

"When Hestia told me about how he'd struck her … I was furious myself. I dismissed him from my bed and kept it as such for all those years but when he seemed so utterly broken for his failure, I finally relented and tried to soothe him. And yet … it wasn't my name he said, even in the middle of our union and I kicked him out again."

"Who's name?" he couldn't help but ask, even though he got a feeling he already knew who.

"… Sally," was the hesitant reply before Amphitrite took a shaky breathe. "… I don't remember too well what happened the rest of the night, only that by the end I left him in our chambers with an Atlantian crystal dagger in his thigh and I left to my son's wing of the castle. I remained there for several days until I finally decided that I would be moving to my own personal wing and keep my distance from my husband but when I went to our chambers …"

Amphitrite stopped as more tears started to come out and her breathing turned into choked sobs. Not being able to stand the sight of her crying Jason moved forward to envelop her in his arms, caressing her back softly as she cried into his chest. He didn't know for how long he held her but he didn't care. He simply held her, understanding her tears of heartbreak … after all, not too long ago he had wept the same and found himself in Hemera's motherly embrace. After some time she finally settled down until her crying broke into sparse sobs and occasional hiccups but she didn't try to move away from him as she spoke softly.

"Never in all those years had he broken the sanctimony of our chambers. But this time, he brought one of his lovers, a mortal one, to my bed. And what's worse, he was telling her of how he'd make her a queen in her own right as I just stood there and then turned back to me and winked. I've never felt so utterly humiliated in my life," she said as she hugged him tighter. "Is that all I am in the end? A trophy that can be discarded when I'm not shiny enough? A broken toy?"

"No," he answered firmly as he pulled back so that he could look at her. "You are more than that bastard could ever understand."

He then cupped her face and made sure her eyes were locked with his. "You're too good for him Amphitrite, you always were." He bit his lip for a moment as he thought about what he was going to say. This was going completely against the plans … but he couldn't just leave her, not after hearing all that.

So he made a choice.

"Come with me," he said, making her eyes widen but he soldiered on before she could interrupt. "I can take you away, far from the reaches of Atlantis. A safe place, a home where you can find happiness."

"But what about my people?" she asked. "The truth of Atlantis is that many of the merfolk think little of Poseidon and his handpicked court. Many still favor the old ways in the time of my father, even if at times he himself had been rather cruel though fair. Without my presence they would begin to voice against my husband again … and I fear how he would retaliate now more than ever."

To that Jason really couldn't think of a way to get around it. The truth was that of the elder council, not all the protogenoi had been on board to move on. Pontus and Thalassa, born only of Gaea, were much like her and wished for more control of the world at large. Oceanus had been the favored sibling of Pontus and so blessed by Pontus giving Oceanus and Tethys their domains of Oceans and Fresh Waters respectively. Thanks to Nyx they knew that it had been the two youngest members of the elder protogenoi that had hidden Oceanus after the first Titan War … and now Pontus was taking an active role.

By rule of thumb all members of the new council were avoiding the oceans as best they could. Until they could devote their time to not only fighting the two remaining elder protogenoi but also isolating such a battle to minimize the risk to the mortal realm, they were effectively tied down in how they could go about with the seas. And it honestly scared him that he would be able to do little to help her if she was in the sea itself. Jason was strong, no question there, but even he would be hard pressed to fight Pontus _and_ Thalassa on their home turf, especially not if they had more support from other tidal titans and monsters.

Still, grasping at straws Jason held a palm up and focused his power until a marble of pure light formed before he cast a mild glamour on it to make it similar to a pearl with a necklace. Once formed he looked to Amphitrite again and placed the necklace in her hands before clasping them within his.

"Then if you can't leave with me now then take this with you. If you feel like you are in danger or there is an emergency, crush it and it will bring you too me," he said sternly. "Promise me that you will. I can understand that you feel responsible for your people but there is only so much that you can do alone but you don't have to stand alone."

Amphitrite remained silent as she looked between his face and the necklace now in her hands, seemingly unable to believe that someone would willingly risk so much just to help her.

"Just … who are you?" she asked softly as she looked into his eyes.

He paused as he thought about that. Even when the time came to declare war, they planned on staying relatively hidden to feed the famous Olympian paranoia. What better way to undermine an opponent than one constantly looking over their shoulder and questioning their own allies while they moved within the shadows. But could he risk telling her his real name? If the Olympians knew, than anyone with a connection to them could be in danger, even the innocent and those having nothing to do with the war.

"Jason … Jason Grace," he found himself saying before he could stop himself.

He wanted to bash his own head for that but for the life of him, he couldn't bring himself to regret it right now. He should make her swear on Styx and her immortality for her silence, hell, even knock her out and simply have Mnemosyne wipe all her memories as is … but he couldn't do it. He just couldn't hurt her, wouldn't hurt her, not after she opened up to him like she had. However it was her warm smile that really settled it for him. Those soft lips pulled into such a tender expression with her eyes gleaming in a happy glow … it was worth it.

She then surprised him by leaning closer and giving him a soft kiss. It was the only true kiss of the night without either hiding something behind it. He returned it as his arms found her waist again yet he didn't try to deepen it or pull her closer. They warmth and touch of the embrace was enough as is. After they pulled back she flashed him another smile.

"Thank you, Jason," she said as she tied the necklace around her slim neck.

He flashed her a smile of his own as he got up and snapped his fingers, returning their clothes to a proper state much to her surprise. She looked at him with curiosity to which he found himself winking as he turned around.

"You know how to reach me …" he said softly before letting himself dissolve into particles of light.

A mission failed … and yet he wouldn't have changed anything about that night …

* * *

 **With Percy (A Week Later)**

Percy sighed as he looked up at the ceiling of his wives' and his room, mindlessly shifting the stars and probably giving an astronomer a headache right about now. His hands gently glided across silky skin as he let the warmth of the bodies pressed against him soothe him. He glanced down at the two jewels of his eyes, a tender smile forming on his lips.

Rhea was to his left, her head nuzzled close to the crook of his neck while she hugged his arm to her chest. Hestia was to his right and slightly lower with her head resting on his chest and right over his heart with her legs tangling his. Both had a glow about them, their bodies exposed to the waist from the crumpled bedsheet were covered in little bite marks and hickies, satisfied smiles on their beautiful faces. He had no doubt he was similar, covered in more aggressive bites and claw marks etched to the point his healing hadn't cleared him up yet.

It was a little odd, he mused. Pleasant but odd. For the last week ever since Rhea and Hestia had surprised him in Norway, every night had been long and loud hours of passion. Bodies rolling and caressing against each other, heated looks and honeyed words, his wives interchanging between being alluringly challenging and dominant to fully giving in and submitting to him, begging him for more. And in all of it his inner wolf recognized their behavior. The aggression and closeness, the rubbing themselves against his body, demanding to be taken again and again. They were reinforcing that they were his and he theirs, making sure that their scents were smothered on each other and claimed in the most primal way.

And he loved every moment of it even if he was curious as to why they suddenly felt the need to reassure themselves of their union? Every night he would always finish with cuddling and tender words of love, simply holding them and relishing in the intimacy between all three of them. Sure to many it would have come off as possessive and clingy but in truth he was comforted by that. Knowing that he was as desired by them as he did them soothed a shadowed doubt that had been etched into his heart ever since he learned about his ex's infidelity.

And he knew that they had similar doubts from their own experiences, one being turned into little more than a token trophy and the other forced to silently watch as she was forgotten all the while witnessing heartbreak and betrayal. All three of them would carry those insecurities for the remainder of their existence but it was in those doubts that their union glowed brighter. However, now he was worried about what could cause those doubts to shoot up in his wives? Had he been inattentive while preparing for imminent war? Was his gaze lingering on other goddesses too much? Whatever it was he would gladly fix it in a heartbeat for them but he needed to know wh—

"Percy," came the sweet voice that broke him out of his thoughts.

He glanced down again to see that both Rhea and Hestia were awake again, his hands having stopped stroking their backs while his thoughts progressed. He also noted that the room was decidedly colder, exactly 45 degrees (Fahrenheit). Not enough to actually cause discomfort for either of his wives (being married gave them perks with each other's domains) but it was noticeable.

"Everything okay dear?" came Hestia's warm voice as she rested her head on her hands over his heart while Rhea adjusted to placing her chin on his shoulder while looking at him.

He sighed before giving them a soft smile, his hands finding each other their hips and tugging them slightly closer.

"Fine … I was just wondering what's got you two so worked up."

Both caught the question in his tone and shared a glance before Rhea spoke, being the usual voice of the two.

"Well, we just really wanted to show you that we love you," she said, skirting an answer.

"And I love you both as much," he replied with a cheesy grin before relaxing and continuing, "But still, there's more to it, right?"

They shared another glance before Hestia spoke up this time.

"There is something else …" She paused as she nibbled her lower lip shyly. "It's a little complicated so … just let us explain before you say or do anything."

That peaked his curiosity and with a slight nod, they began to explain what got them so anxious. His eyes kept widening and at times he would have sworn they were trying to play a trick on him but both remained serious, without tooth or hide of a lie. His heart sank slightly at hearing about what was happening to his sister, causing a whirlwind of conflicting emotions within him. He loved Andromeda, dearly so, but could he change how he saw her enough to help her? Would he in any way be taking advantage of her or the situation to break fidelity? Was it a one-time thing or more? All those questions popped in his head until Rhea noticed his troubled face and calmed him with a soft kiss followed by Hestia.

"Percy," Rhea said gently as she looked into his eyes. "I know what you're thinking and you're aren't. She needs this and we could tell she was genuine about her feelings."

"But … I made vows to always be faithful to both of you," he responded as he cupped both their cheeks. "If I did this how would I be any different from the Olympians? How would it even be fair to you?"

"Well," Hestia started as she overlapped Percy's hand with her own. "We may have thought of a possibility."

"What?" he asked hopefully, not wanting in any way to go against his sworn vows.

"Okay," she continued as she took a quick breathe. "We thought about how to get around our oaths and even spoke to Styx about it." That got him to raise an eyebrow. If anything, his queens were thorough in checking options before even proposing ideas. "And even messaged Lady Chaos. The sum being that our oaths give leeway to what the three of us consider infidelity so, as long as all three of us agree, we could have lovers." He couldn't stop his frown at that but didn't comment with the 'wait and see' glance Rhea shot him. "So, considering that we don't want Andy being bunched into the same type as Aphrodite, we thought about marriage."

"But we're already married," he interjected only to get pinched by Rhea while Hestia raised a dainty eyebrow at him. "… Shutting up now."

"Yes, we are but there isn't really anything stopping us from having more marriages," Hestia answered before looking to Rhea as the lioness picked it up.

"However, if married then there is the little thing about our roles in the council. It's already unusual to having two queens and adding more is just more trouble than it's worth so we thought back to how lords used to get official mistresses back in the old days of Europe without permanently getting screwed over with their wives. Basically, if you agreed to it, you would marry Andy as a consort. Officially a wife and equal to us personally but not a queen on the council floor."

"However," Hestia continued with a look of mischief in her eyes. "It still would be letting you have a lover all to yourself so we thought that as a condition, she would be married to all three of us."

"Granted that would take some explaining too and people will still talk but being official still makes it better," Rhea added while Percy just stared dumbly at them until he asked the first thing that came to him.

"But wouldn't she need to be into girls too for this?"

"Has she ever said she _isn't_ into girls?" Hestia shot back leaving Percy without a retort.

He could not refute her, hell, if anything he at one point was rather relieved to catch Andy check out the occasional girl on their few trips to the mortal world. It saved him the worry of having to skin any would be boyfriends alive. Granted he'd only taken it at face value at the time and didn't consider it being an assured thing of which way his sister swung since she'd sometimes eyed guys too. That usually led to him leaving with her quickly otherwise he would maul said male within the hour.

Taking his silence as a cue to go on Rhea continued.

"We also thought this might make it possible to address the feelings of … some others," she said in a slightly edgy tone.

Percy didn't need her to name them, knowing that his Shadows were harboring feelings for him. Lupa's had grown exponentially ever since having private days with Medusa and Lamia while explicitly not letting him in on what they were discussing. The other two had been leaving the subtly and hidden glances behind over time and a part of him honestly felt guilty about not being able to return that love in that way they wanted but unable to bring himself to dash their hopes either. He cared about them and didn't want to hurt them, especially after all the three have been through.

"So … would that mean we'd have to marry them too?" he asked tentatively making Rhea snort.

"No, that option is the right thing to do for Andy after everything she's done for us. We also are considering her status as a primordial goddess and council member and what her union to us would mean politically. We may be in the 21st century and no doubt by the time we unveil ourselves to the mortals there will be ruffled feathers but there will also be those that approve or will at least be neutral about our relationship. However, were are still the three royals and that comes with some perks and allowances," Rhea said with a smirk.

"So for Medusa, Lamia, and Lupa …?"

Hestia and Rhea shared a looked before replying cheerily, "Concubines."

Percy blinked owlishly at them getting an eye roll from his loves.

"Look, the last thing we need is every pretty face running up to us and bashing their eyelashes or flicking their skirts to try to get with us just to have a crack at one or all of us," Hestia explained. "So, aside from Andy getting marriage as an option if she accepts this and you accept it," she said with a softer look, knowing he was still very undecided about the whole situation. "But those three do love you and are already sworn to you. You could already command them to do whatever you want and they would follow it, but taking oaths and officially becoming concubines to the throne as it were would discourage just any girl …"

"Or possible guy," Rhea chirped while looking at Percy's slight frown in amusement.

"Or guy," Hestia amended sounding all too amused herself. "From approaching us unless their willing to submit to all three of us."

"And naturally we would take any offers with a grain of salt," Rhea continued, "Plus having Andy would mean that no one would fake their feelings or intentions. Not to mention it would be hot helping you dominate a few cuties."

That got her some odd looks from both Percy and Hestia.

"What? Lions do the same thing in prides!" she defended while sitting up, causing a healthy jiggle of feminine delight to their appreciating eyes.

"Regardless of her kinks," Hestia giggled while ignoring Rhea's pout. "It wouldn't be strange for a king or queen(s) to have concubines throughout the history of mankind so why not use that to our advantage? We give the girls the chance, keep a clear hierarchy, and leave the heavier throne room dynamic untouched."

Percy laid quietly as he digested his wives' idea, musing the pros, cons, and his personal feelings on the matter. Sure, it made sense with the way they put it and could work. Granted there was the question of how his Shadows or the other possible girl's currently crushing on him or even on his wives that would willingly go along with the conditions. It would mean fidelity to them or at least to all those within the harem (now that was a word he never thought would be used with relation to him!). But then his thoughts returned to the original subject of all this; Andromeda.

Could he change everything with her, did he even truly feel that way about her? He wasn't sure even if he knew he loved her and would have likely done it if he hadn't already been married but that was because he would have thought of helping her anyway he could before thinking about his relationship to her.

He sighed in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair before being pulled out of his thoughts by Hestia's squeal. Apparently his loves had been teasing each other about their tastes and that lead to Rhea pouncing on Hestia and beginning a ruthless tickle attack. Hestia was laughing hysterically while trying to futilely escape and bordering on tears and begging for mercy. The sight brought a smile and welcome distraction to Percy but he knew he would need to make a decision soon…

"Please Rhe-AWN!"

… Or focus on pulling one kinky goddess off the other before things escalated into a sleepless night of coiling bodies and swearing by each other's name in the throes of passion…

* * *

 **Author's Rant: How was it? Yays or nays? I tried to make this chapter a biggy to start off some things and progress others.**

 **Mind; The Poseidon with a mortal lover. That happened before Styx reaffirmed their oaths so their curse to suffer the pain of burning genitals for bedding mortals wasn't in affect until now.**

 **Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed that and next chapter begins the war and a title teaser!**

 **"Guns On the Throne Floor!"**


	25. Guns on the Dance Floor!

**Author's Note: Hey yo! I'm back with another chapter. Alright, I'll be honest, I think this chapter counts as fucked up but hey! You guys wanted it!**

 **BTW, some people asking about if I'm really doing some gender-bending here and no, I'm not. That was just a gag is all. As for the romance, yeah I know. I just tried to get a good bit out of the way so now more action!**

 **Disclaimer: I own only plot.**

* * *

He moved steadily through his chambers, making short work of fastening his suite tie. Pitch black against a tastefully grey Armani suite and pristine white collared shirt. His shoes shined like polished obsidian and his hair had been grown out slightly to be pulled into a low tail of raven locks. His pale complexion and steely grey eyes contrasting as he checked himself in a full length mirror one last time.

Altogether he felt himself looking crisply formal yet tasteful … if one ignored the wails of agony coming from the faces of trapped souls within his suite, granted the faces were just barely visible. He would silence them before leaving but for now he let them be. He then glanced back to his wife and queen, noting with some concern how she seemed to stare off into her own mirror.

"Dear," he said in a gentle voice unheard beyond the walls of his chamber but his wife made no sign of having heard. "… Persephone," he called with a little more volume.

She jumped slightly as she finally looked at him, her eyes clearing from their daze as she gave him a smile that failed to meet her eyes.

"Yes honey?" she returned as she stood from her vanity seat and smoothed out her dress.

It was a lovely little number, reaching just to the knees with a teasing slit on the right side to show some creamy skin. Tight and giving a generous idea of her curves, the dress was a vibrant green to match her eyes with flowers designs etched around the lacy collar holding up the dress. With the back open Persephone allowed her chestnut hair to flow free and spill nearly to her lower back. Lastly was a small crown of ebony with diamonds encrusted on it, matching his own bone crown with one large diamond.

"Are you feeling well?" Hades asked as he stepped closer to gently touch her cheek.

She leaned slightly into it but before that Hades saw the flash of worry in her eyes. That concerned him though. For the last week or so Persephone had seemed to be more tense and restless. To all others she may have been able to fool with her queen mask but he knew her. No one knew Persephone as well as he did after their millennia together but he could not recall ever having seen her so distressed and unwilling to broach the subject.

"I'm fine," was her airy reply, again her eyes straying off his near imperceptibly.

He withheld his sigh though and gave her a small smile as he offered her his arm. Perhaps after the party tonight she would open up about it, after all, today is a day for celebration. Today, the Olympian Council had called an emergency meeting and _all_ were attending. What better time or place to execute a god?

"Is this … not in poor taste though?" she asked softly as she glanced down at herself. "To have a celebration on the eve of declaring war?"

"What would you have otherwise?" he returned as they slowly walked out of their chambers and down towards their own throne room. "There are eons of bad blood directed at the council and many wish to see Olympus burn. Not to mention, this will finally allow all who have sworn allegiance to the Primordial Council to be together, even those that have been spying since near the beginning. There will be many to welcome tonight."

Persephone gave no answer other than a non-committed hum. With that they fell silent and upon reaching their throne room. Hades gives one last nod to some of his top ghouls and ghosts that will be in charge of the Underworld, the lead being one Mrs. Sally Blofis, the newest of his three judges. Getting a smile and nod back from her, Hades and Persephone soon flashed golden, on their way to the temple of Primordials…

* * *

 **With Medusa**

Medusa walked steadily through the temple of Primordials, her gaze set on a large set of marble doors. The click of her black heels echoed through the chamber and she could hear the faint hum of chatter and such in the throne room as gods and titans of all sorts entered the chamber. She soon arrived at the door and fixed her strapless black dress, making sure that her dress didn't ride up too much but it was dangerously short to begin with. At least she got to preen whenever she noticed her king's lingering gaze … and oddly enough her two queens as well. She still wasn't sure what had been decided with Andromeda and the love goddess has been keeping a slight distance with them but Medusa felt like there was more to it.

She couldn't help but feel like she was being carefully watched by her king and queens and yet, it gave her an odd sense of excitement! Oh well, maybe she would ask later in the night about it but first she had to get Phoebe. So with that in mind she knocked on the marble doors, being mindful to not be too loud otherwise Phoebe would scold her … again.

Not a second later the doors soundlessly slid in and taking the invitation, Medusa stepped into Phoebe's office, the large and slightly dark expanse looking like it simply went on forever. She didn't see Phoebe around as she looked until a smooth feminine voice called her.

"Ah, Medusa dear, is it time?"

Medusa turned to see her friend, a smile on her face. The woman was a deadly beauty. Her snow pale skin seemed to glow in the soft darkness of the chamber, her silvery hair cut to short bob just reaching past her chin. She wore a black and silver embroiled corset pushing up her sizable breasts exquisitely with her toned midriff exposed. On her arms were matching, elbow length gloves and matching collar, her six pitch black eyes all focused on Medusa. Two in the standard location with the four others in pairs just above her eyebrows and far smaller than her main eyes, the left ones partly covered by a bang.

However her differences didn't end there, with her lower half just passed the waist being a monstrously sized black widow spider with the iconic red hourglass being silvery instead. Around her waist she wore a white miniskirt and each of her eight legs was decorated with cloth collars and a white ring near the middle of the legs.

"Hello Arachne, is Lady Phoebe ready?" Medusa asked after exchanging kisses on each cheek with Queen of Spiders.

"Yes, she was just having a little last minute discussion," Arachne said with a little titter of laughter.

She then turned and motioned for Medusa to follow. The pair seemed to walk on forever, their heels and claw tipped legs clicking along what looked like a marble floor. As they moved the lighting shifted and where once nothing but darkness was, now became four figures.

As they got close enough Medusa was confused to see what looked like Phoebe speaking to three young women suspended within wire. Phoebe, dressed in a white dress reminiscent of a chiton and her hair done up in a bun with two bangs framing her face was looking annoyed as she studied the trapped women. To Medusa they looked like sisters with slightly tanned skin and rich brown hair. Sadly their faces were marred with cuts, along with their entire bodies pulled into painful positions. The wires were cutting through their own chitons and skin alike, dripping ichor along the floor as all three sisters gasped and twitched only for more pain as the wires cut deeper.

"Stubborn lot," Phoebe quipped as she finally turned to look at Medusa and Arachne. "Yes?"

"Mistress," Arachne started reverently making Medusa wonder if she sounded the same when talking to Percy. "It is almost time for the show to begin and the council is gathering."

"Ah yes, the Olympians are beginning their emergency meeting soon. Hmm, never thought they'd go as far as to inviting representatives from the camps and minor gods as well," Phoebe replied as she sparred one more glance to the three women, all of whom were glaring at her with pure hatred in their eyes. "I will see you girls later then," she said cheekily.

One of the women, the left more one, spit a glob of ichor but it fell short of reaching Phoebe. She looked at the divine blood with distaste before she flicked her wrist, a series of taught wires appearing connected to her fingers.

"That wasn't very nice," she chirped even as she flexed her fingers in, the wires holding the women responding in kind and constricting on the women.

All three screamed as spurts of blood followed wherever the wires got tighter and Medusa heard a distinct pop as the middle one's arm was pulled too far back. She didn't really flinch at the brutal display but the heavy breathing made her glance over to see Arachne eyeing Phoebe like a piece of meat with a mad blush. The S was strong with this one.

"Well then, let's be off," Phoebe said as she released the wires around her fingers and turned on her heels to walk away, Arachne falling in step to her right and slightly behind her.

Medusa followed along, still wondering who were the girls and what had they done to deserve Phoebe's ire but they soon faded from view. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Medusa let her curiosity get the better of her.

"Um, Lady Phoebe, who were those three?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh! I forget no one has seen their true forms in eons," Phoebe replied while clapping their hands. "Those were the Fates."

"The Fates!" Medusa shouted as she looked at Phoebe as if she'd grown a second head. "How? Why?"

"Oh it wasn't hard at all," Phoebe shrugged with an easy smile. "I'm more connected to the realm of Fate than they are now and finding them was a simple matter. Sadly negotiations fell within minutes and I had to take them in or else they would have run off to the Olympians."

"But what have they done that needed your attention?" Medusa persisted after getting over the shock of who the young women were.

"Simple. They've gotten a little too comfortable, too complacent with their power," Phoebe answered, her cheery demeanor falling through as she looked at Medusa intently. "Anake once had her own laws on how and when she would allow others glimpses into their futures through prophecy. However, even she knew that there is no true set path until the moment has already passed. Until we make our most important decisions, entire realities are possible, many of them similar, others so distinct you'd think they don't even relate to the same person." Phoebe paused as she glanced up, Medusa following her gaze.

She gasped lightly at the sight of thousands upon thousands of strings, all formed into interlocking webs of some kind, stretched on endlessly into the shadows beyond even Medusa's ability to see. Crawling across those webs were all manner of spiders working diligently, tying, removing, severing, and extending the lines between webs, and as they did so Phoebe continued on.

"The power of free will it's what makes it all possible. That is why Lady Chaos made her laws to forbid gods encroaching on free will, even if we can create suggestions and ideas within mortal minds through the Mist or our own abilities." Phoebe turned to look Medusa directly in the eyes, her own amber ones glowing with power. "The Fates have forgotten this and instead use their prophecy as law and affect chance and probability to make them correct. They know that all fear the unknown and so grow dependent on their prophetic word, giving the Fates power over mortals and gods alike but also creating greater risk for said gods and mortals themselves. I was merely asking them to reconsider their positions and learn to leave the gods and mortals to their own."

"And they didn't take it well I'm guessing," Medusa finished as she glanced back into the darkness where the Fates ounce were.

"Not at all," Phoebe sighed as they finally arrived at the door leading out of her office.

It soundlessly opened again as three stepped out and turned towards the throne room. As they walked near the constant stream of gods and titans moving on into the room, many noticed Phoebe and gave bows or curtseys to her which she acknowledged with nods of her own. Once they made it through the grand arch leading into throne floor, Medusa and Arachne split off towards the numerous seats spread about the hall facing the thrones while Phoebe moved on, growing by the step, to her throne.

Medusa quickly found her seat next to Lamia and Lupa, the wolf goddess making a showing of being in her human form, donning a similarly small black dress to Medusa and Lamia. Once comfortably in her seat Medusa turned her gaze to the thrones and marveled at the imposing sight of all the council finally gathered before their subjects for the first time since forming.

Each was dressed formally, in either dresses colored to their domains, or suites. Medusa's eyes immediately went to Percy and she couldn't suppress a shiver at the sight. He, like the rest of the council, were currently in what she dubbed 'Ruling Mode', the very same that had made her feel like a bug when she'd supported Andromeda while facing Rhea and Hestia. Luckily it seemed that even if the last two weeks have shown some odd tensions between some members, right here and now they were a unified front, all personal issues held back.

Each of their eyes glowed in the shades of their power, that same power that pulsed off them so thickly that Medusa could actually see the air distortion around every one of them. If there were any gods in the city that held a doubt for the council, it was quickly washed away. Soon the chamber settled as each god found their place and turned to attention, all eyes slowly drifting to Percy as he cleared his throat.

"Thank you for joining us," he said in deep and smooth voice. "It seems that tonight, our long wait finally pays off." Some chuckles ran out, amongst the audience, several even giving malicious grins knowing exactly what it is they've been waiting for. And judging by Percy's fanged smirk, he was very eager himself. "Now, I'm not one for grand speeches and I've personally dealt with too many idiots going on and on without ever actually getting anything done. So, without further ado, I believe the Olympians are about to call their own meeting. Let's watch, shall we?"

With a wave of his hand, the light in the chamber dimmed significantly while Hestia snapped her fingers causing the hearth's flame to grow and spread into a massive orb in the center of the throne room. Within a few seconds a projection appeared within the fire, displaying the very throne of Olympus …

* * *

 **With Athena**

The goddess of wisdom sat tensely in her throne, the very air within the room feeling like a pressure cooker as tempers and paranoia alike ran at an all-time high. The throne room had never been so full before as gods of both Greek and Roman pantheon sat side by side, each god having absorbed their other aspects in enough to be a hair trigger from assuming their divine forms, causing the space around them to literally steam.

The spouses of even the council members were given small adjoining thrones to sit in and more, smaller thrones and tables had been set up to offer spacing for every representative present. Demigods, veterans of the last wars, had been called forth and for all those that couldn't attend were watching from the camps or their bases. Iris, after some negotiation, had agreed to form massive IM's to Camp Half-Blood's amphitheater and New Rome's Senate House where almost all demigods and allied nature spirits were collected to watch. Even contingents from small retired legionnaires and the Queen of the Amazons, Hylla, was present and all looking nervous underneath her perceptive, grey eyes.

This had never been done before but Athena knew that her father was getting desperate and all the Olympians that remained were worried. More and more gods, minor though they may be, were simply vanishing into thin air. Hestia's kidnapping and now possibly Ares being MIA as well, the council needed to come together. She glanced across from her seat, her eyes narrowing as they set on her half-brother as the bastard picked his overly white teeth with a bronze tooth pick and looking as nonchalant as he could.

She knew it was a façade though. His were constantly shifting around, his back was tensed and straight, his left foot was tapping. To make matters worse for him, his wife was still shooting him evil glares from time to time. Her daughter, how she lamented ever agreeing with Zeus on having Annabeth marry Apollo. Honestly she was somewhat still disappointed with her too, especially after how Annabeth all but let Percy get away. Maybe she could have been enough to persuade Percy to becoming a god but no! The girl had to fall for Apollo of all people and even after Athena chewed her out and nearly killing Apollo, the pair continued their little affair.

Then again, it could have been her chance to snag herself a proper husband. One that she knew would never cheat and if honest with herself, rather attractive. Then of course he had to go and give godhood up again, as if being mortal was better! Regardless Percy was gone now and no matter who or what tried to track him, they always came up empty. However, it seemed that Percy had set a pattern and now several powerful heroes were MIA, making the task of hiding the disappearances a rigged game. The camps were biting at their heels, wanting to know what was going on and delivering reports of their own problems.

Chiron's report on how the influx of demigods had fallen slowly over the last five years to barely any arrivals within the last year was increasingly alarming. Sure, right now the numbers in both camps were at all-time highs, both numbering in the several hundred each with the influx of children after Percy's first request. Now though things were silent and every god could feel a shift in the air.

There had been a surge of power in the north and many of the satyr teams sent to investigate didn't come back, Lupa and her entire pack was gone leaving the Wolf House abandoned, even Atlas was gone along with the Golden Apple tree and his daughters. Now the gods were visibly worried during their meetings and far more prone to violent action even without Ares to instigate them.

Athena did a quick sweep as some more minor gods filled in along with the final arrivals of senior demigods and the veterans. Artemis was to her side, the goddess' hands nervously fiddling with an arrow, her two accompanying hunters sitting tensely at her feet while shooting distrustful looks at any male that happened to be too close. Demeter was fidgeting and unlike usual, wasn't going on and on about grains or what not. Aphrodite, much to everyone's shock, didn't look nearly as attractive as usual. Puffy eyes from crying, slight mistakes in her mascara, some of her hair having split ends, and her dress had wrinkles in it. Then there was the obvious lack of her aura and slump in her shoulders making her look far older and tired, even to the point no one was having a problem looking _away_ from her.

Hera to her other side, though managing to keep a decent poker face, still had a slight redness to her eyes and a visible tick of a finger tapping as she stared at the poor excuse for a hearth fire being tirelessly tended by no less than five satyrs to even keep the blasted thing from going out and the entire throne room still felt cold. Her father was looking at it as well, his nostrils flaring as static crackled around him, his bolt not having left his grip in days. Poseidon, if she was being honest with herself, was looking terrifying. His expression was frigid at best, with his jaw set, one hand firmly wrapped around his trident as he shot glances around the room. Amphitrite to his side sat morosely, keeping her face down and featureless but anyone could see the coldness between her and Poseidon.

Ares, much like Hestia's throne, was empty and seemed to gain dust regardless of how often it was cleaned and several of the gods kept shooting worried glances at it. Hephaestus couldn't seem to put down his hands and spare parts to save his life, his beard smoldering more than usual but he barely even noticed. Apollo was still picking his teeth while Annabeth sat next to him, her blonde curls pushed out of her face so Apollo could see and likely feel the glares she launched at him but Athena could see that her grip on her trusty dagger that she'd kept was bone white. Hermes next on the line was disturbingly quiet, his ever present cellphone stowed away and his little snakes not even hissing as he kept glancing around. Several of his own wind spirits that assisted him for deliveries had disappeared, all along the northern borders but some randomly in the heart of the US. Even more alarmingly, Dionysus was alert and practically oozing nervous energy, not a Diet Cola in sight.

Lastly was her Uncle Hades and Persephone. He had been a rather occasional presence to their meetings ever since the debacle dealing with Percy's mortal family and had only showed during the winter and summer Solstice meetings or the few that Hestia had called him to. And everyone knew that he wanted nothing to do with them but one thing was that he was always punctual. And now, he was not only late but simply not here at all. Demeter looked increasingly worried as time passed, having not spoken to her daughter in well over a month, and now with so many gods not appearing, it was a reason for alarm. Athena had been about to continue on to the veteran demigods present when her father shot a bolt into the sky, effectively silencing the nervous murmurs and beginning the emergency meeting.

"Order!" he boomed, all eyes falling on him. "This emergency session has begun."

At his words, several IM's formed above the heads of those seated in attendance, projecting the camps and independent groups watching this meeting as well.

"Now that I have everyone's attention, there are announcements to make," Zeus began as he glanced around, even to the IM's before continuing. "As of a month ago Hestia was kidnapped an—"

He couldn't finish as hundreds of voices coming from the demigods erupted in shock and surprise. A most, only rumors of Hestia's disappearance had reached the camps but now it was confirmed. Over a minute of uproar, with the present representatives shooting to their feet to get Zeus' attention for explanations continued until Poseidon of all people slammed his trident on the floor.

"Enough!" he roared, his rage evident stopping everyone dead. "Yes, Hestia was taken but we are not going to lose our heads over this since it does nothing. We have searched and so far found nothing," he said more evenly as some murmuring followed up until a Greek Camper and Vet, Tracy, stood up.

"Do we have any clues who took her?" she asked looking around, likely noting how some of the gods shifted uncomfortably.

"We do but at the same time we don't," Demeter started as she glanced around nervously.

"Forgive me Lady Demeter but how can that be?" asked one of the new camp counselors, Roger Marcus from Hermes Cabin.

"We were present when the kidnapping occurred," Hephaestus picked up, his hands stilling for the moment. "And we saw who did it, the problem is we knew next to nothing about that person or thing."

"What do we know?" asked Hylla, her deep brown eyes narrowing as she tried to piece together an image while her four Amazon escorts murmured behind her.

"Apparently it is a demon of some kind calling itself Umbra," Hephaestus answered before waving his hands and causing an image to appear over the small hearth fire.

There was silence as many inspected the image of the strange shadow creature. The faceless head with two icy blue dots for eyes and a general build of a male being the only features to take from the whole thing. It drove Athena mad that she couldn't find any semblance or mention of this Umbra in any archive she'd searched and not even the oldest gods accessible to her (an increasingly smaller lists as time went on) knew of this thing.

"Doesn't look like much," Clarisse, another Vet, muttered only to get glared at by several of the gods present.

"Don't let appearances fool you," Artemis growled as she aimed her seething glare at the image. "We already know that this thing is at least responsible for the death of one of my oldest hunters, it somehow took Thalia, Hestia, and a number of our trackers sent after the trail have disappeared."

"Among those sent out to search was Lupa and her pack," Athena added getting several gasps and curses from the Roman camp.

"Is Lady Lupa …?" one of the visiting senators trailed off on the question.

"Dead?" Hermes cut in drawing the attention with a shake of his head. "Not that we can confirm but her trail ended near the Canadian border. It is believed that she may have been taken farther north and beyond our ability to assist."

"Then we should go after her!" one of the new Praetors, Craceus Orelous, demanded while shooting to his feet.

"And where will you look?" Zeus interjected after having carefully watched as the conversations progressed with surprising patience. "There is no trail or leads, the gods can't pinpoint her, and for some reason the oracle remains silent," he shot that last jab at Rachel as she sat with the Vets, the woman shrinking into her chair.

"It's not only her," Apollo came to her defense as he glanced at her. "I've tried but my sight barely manages glimpses and of those few moments, half of them shift into something different right in the middle of it."

"So we're running blind?" asked one of the elder senators incredulously.

"Effectively," Hermes muttered as the unease in the room grew.

"What other gods are missing?" asked Allen Baker, Athena's son and current cabin counselor.

That question drew many nervous looks from the council until they all turned their gaze to Zeus, throwing him under the bus with his responsibility as king. After a sweeping glare that promised vengeance Zeus cleared his throat to speak up.

"The list of missing gods is actually quite extensive but some of the more worrying cases such as Hestia are Hercules…" The audience gasped at that, several shocked that a powerhouse such as that legend had possibly been kidnapped. Better they didn't know that his was more of an escape. "… Atlas…" That was a bucket of ice water one anyone who had seen the fearsome titan or knew how dangerous he truly was. "… and Ares."

"What!?" dozens of Roman demigods and his Greek children shouted at the same time, the beginnings of panic spreading through the viewing campers.

"How could Mars be taken as well?" Reyna, reinstated and full-time Praetor asked as she waved for silence from her centurions and senators.

"We aren't sure," Hermes answered again, being one of the few that spent time with Ares out of meetings. Mostly to pick up women with Apollo as well. "We only noticed since he missed three meetings in a row and when we looked, he wasn't in his palace or any of the locations he frequents."

"Actually …" Apollo started, drawing all eyes on him as he squirmed slightly. "… I looked for one he's pretty popular at and it was gone."

"Gone? What was gone?" Athena asked as she narrowed her eyes. "And what do you mean Ares was popular there?"

Apollo was looking more uncomfortable by the minute and knowing he couldn't lie worth a damn, he was stuck.

"An underground fight club," Apollo answered after sweating for a good thirty seconds, not meeting the eyes of any of the demigods. "All fist-fights and even deaths. Violence, gambling, and generally the kind of place he loves."

"Considering I don't want to know what else you do there, what do you mean it's gone?" Artemis asked as she thumbed her arrow dangerously.

"That's just it," he answered. "It's gone without a trace. It was literally underground and the entire structure all the way to the one access tunnel on the surface was gone. There isn't even a trace of the building's foundation or any other material besides the natural ground there. It's as if it simply disappeared overnight."

"Wait a moment," Hermes interjected as he looked at his lap in concentration. "I heard about that. Around Las Vegas less than a month ago, over 200 people were reported missing from the same night in the same area. Some politicians, businessmen, police, tourists, and residents. Under the less legal means, entire gangs and prostitutes were also being searched for."

"So not only was Ares somehow taken, likely at this sight, but any and all traces were completely removed as well," Annabeth commented as she shared a glance with Athena. Something very wrong was going on.

As far as Athena had seen, Umbra was only a creature of shadows. But if erasing entire structures underground were one of its abilities, what else could it do?

"What of the missing heroes?" Calypso, sitting in a smaller throne next to her husband Leo, asked with a raised hand as the eyes turned to her. "Percy, Jason, and Thalia have all been missing for some time. Has there been any sign of them?"

"No, my brother," Zeus growled at the empty throne. "Last said that Jackson as well as the other three are alive."

"But that's a good thing right?" asked Elliot Brown, son of Apollo. "I mean, those three were already legends by the time they were teens and now they'd be what, in their twenties or so. If we can find them then maybe they could help us find the missing gods."

"That's not possible," Poseidon said as he looked sharply at Artemis, Aphrodite, and Apollo. "From what I understand at least for Zeus' kids, they left of their own volition and aren't coming back for any reason."

"What do you mean my lord?" Calypso persisted as she looked between the tense gods, all of them knowing exactly what Poseidon was getting at.

"What I mean is that Thalia turned traitor," he replied to the many gasps as Zeus shot up, his bolt crackling in his hand.

"How dare you!?" he boomed but Poseidon was having none of it.

"How dare I?" he shot back. "Open your eyes you fool! Your daughter chewed into Artemis and then used something she smashed to shadow travel, an ability we all know she doesn't have. And when she left she said, and I quote, 'Umbra says hello'. She was the closest to the first appearance of Umbra as a large black wolf with that girl, Mira, when they appeared, kidnapped Artemis' adopted daughter and killed her lover."

They were many shocked looks directed at Artemis from the demigods while the goddess in turn glared venomously at Poseidon but his returning gaze just dared her to try anything.

"Oh don't give me that look," he continued. "Everyone on the damn mountains knows that your hunter was your lover and has been for centuries. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that Thalia willingly left and as for Jason, even if he didn't become a traitor as well, he certainly won't want anything to do with us." Poseidon paused as he looked at Aphrodite as the goddess tried to look smaller in her chair. "And we all know whose fault is that. Last he was seen, he knocked you out, Apollo," he said while jabbing a finger at the scowling god. "And then he disappeared without a trace."

"Wait, why is it Aphrodite's fault?" Leo butted in as he looked around confused.

Both Jason and Piper had left the camp before letting anyone know so it didn't surprise Athena that even Leo didn't know the details of that night. At his questions, all the other gods looked at her expectantly as she squirmed in her seat, her eyes already getting wet from whenever her daughter was brought up with that night.

"I—"

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the sound of clapping seemed to echo all around making many tense as they searched for the origin of the noise.

"Nice little meeting going on here," said an unnervingly familiar voice as everyone's eyes were drawn to the shadow next to Hades' empty throne.

Slowly a familiar figure of shadows stepped out as Athena's breath hitched and her spear appeared in hand. She was too slow as not even a moment later Artemis notched an arrow, aimed her bow, and let loose. In a split second the arrow as on top of Umbra but he made not motion to dodge before the arrow simple shot through him and impaled the throne behind him. He glanced at it before reaching for it and giving it a little tug, pulling it out easily.

Umbra looked from the arrow to Artemis and back before muttering, "Cute," before tossing the useless stick aside.

Silence reigned as he all but strolled forward, every god and demigod already armed as they eyed him wearily. He looked around himself, his gaze moving slowly over the gathered demigods, even the ones visible through the IM's.

"Hello," he greeted with a wave, completely at ease. "I'm Umbra."

No one said a word as the shade stood amongst them. He continued to glance around for a few more minutes before looking towards Zeus.

"So we wanted to return something of yours," he said as he raised a single hand.

' _We?'_ Athena noted as Umbra snapped his fingers and a portal of shadows opened up in the center of the throne room. Before anyone could say or do anything a body fell out and hit the floor with a meaty thud. At first Athena wasn't sure what it was but then she gasped at the sight, one of her hands shooting to her mouth as a foul stench assaulted their noses.

It. Was. Ares.

At human size and looking like he'd nearly been pulled apart. His body was covered in ichor and an unknown black substance, completely nude and battered nearly beyond recognition. From sight alone Athena could tell that one leg was beyond useless and his hips looked broken as well while part of his right arm was simply gone.

Then, with a weak and broken moan, Ares somehow dragged himself to his hands and knees, letting several see that he'd been violently castrated as well. Athena could hear many throwing up from the stench and sight but the gods remained in shock, unable to look away or do anything. Then Ares raised his head and Hera started to cry right then and there, seeing as how Ares' face had been torn up and his eyes gouged out. However Ares' head shot towards the sound of his crying mother and did the most shocking thing. He whimpered like a baby, his blood making it look like he was crying gold.

"M-mommy …" he choked as he started to crawl towards her. "… It hurts."

None could move as they watched the god of war, broken beyond even madness itself, as he crawled like a toddler towards his mother. Hera just kept crying as she looked at her son but then she got off her throne and shrunk to her human size.

"I'm here!" she cried as she ran at him with open arms.

Click.

Athena almost missed the sound but she glanced only in time to see Umbra with a black gun in his hand, already aimed. She looked back at Ares, the god having sat up on his knees with his arms open, begging to be picked up and carried away to somewhere safe as Hera flung her arms at him…

BANG!

Ares lurched forward, a hole being blown through his skull with a shower of ichor and flesh. Hera stopped, her arms still open as Ares fell into them. Silence reigned, no one even daring to breathe, as they watched Ares turn to dust, but not the regular golden dust. Instead a wind picked up as he turned to an ashen white dust in his mother's arms. Hera looked down at her hands as the dust filtered through, unable to comprehend what just happened as were all the other gods.

Crack!

That sound could have been a bomb as it echoed throughout the throne room as all eyes save Hera's turned to Ares' throne. They watched as cracks spider webbed all along the throne. Then, it just collapsed on itself in a pile of white dust as the wind died down and then nothing.

And it was that nothing that thoroughly terrified Athena.

Normally a god's or titan's death left a 'trail' that let the gods feel them moving down to Tartarus. They could feel the consciousness going dormant as the essence sunk into the bowels of the earth but that didn't happen. There was no essence to speak of anymore, no consciousness moving or slowly fading into the background. There was merely absence. A flame snuffed out without a chance of ever being relit.

Ares had faded.

Athena's entire body was trembling, in shock and fear or rage and hatred she didn't know. She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks just like all the other Olympians. Then, the unholy silence broken as Hera gave a wail of agony, the heartbreak striking the very core of all who witnessed such brutality as she desperately cupped at the dust that was once her son.

Athena could make out the crying of Ares' children from both camps while others couldn't even move, their eyes nailed to the hysterical queen.

"First blood goes to us," Umbra said, drawing the gaze of the Olympians as many started to glow with their power to the point the present demigods fell to their knees and gasped for air … not that they were really noticed by the enraged gods.

Umbra suddenly drew a spear from thin air as Artemis stood and notched another arrow but before she could react, he threw his spear. It moved almost too fast for Athena to see, Artemis not faring any better. Sadly her body didn't respond in time as the spear hit home. It pierced straight through her hip and pined her to her throne as she screamed, ichor flowing down her leg as she dropped her bow.

"Milady!" screamed her hunters, their own adrenaline helping to deal with the massive divine pressure around them.

"You bastard!" Apollo roared as he lunged at Umbra, sword in hand.

Umbra was ready though, ducking under the swing with a golden gladius appearing in hand. In one swift move Apollo was masterfully disarmed and then the gladius was buried up to the hilt through Apollo's right thigh. He could only scream as Umbra kicked him away, the force sending the towering god careening. Athena and several others had been about to move and converge on Umbra but then he pulled another blade out and they all froze.

In one motion Umbra impaled the sword right into the fire of the hearth, extinguishing the flame as cracks spread from it and the whole throne room shook. Athena could also hear screaming coming from the IM's displaying the camps and she glanced to see that they were all suffering earthquakes and running out to see something. However, her eyes were drawn back to the blade left impaled as Umbra stood next to it, all eyes reading the words etched into the gleaming bronze sword.

Anaklusmos. Riptide. The legendary blade of Percy Jackson, greatest hero of the millennia and possibly there ever has been. Cold dread filled their hearts, even the campers having remained looking through the IM's as the earth settled staring at the iconic sword in shock.

" **Take heed Olympians** ," Umbra said in a booming voice all around them as the shade grew taller, soon towering over even the elder Olympians as the atmosphere grew colder by the second. " **Your sins have come for you and nothing will stand in our way. Soon each and every one of your heads will roll** ," Umbra said as he looked at each shell-shocked god. " **And to all demigods, know this. We are not your enemies, however, should you side with this filth** ," he said with a dismissive wave at the council. " **And if you attack us, there will be no mercy.** "

Suddenly all the light started to fail as shadows spread along the roof and Umbra became one with the darkness. Then, like a switch, he was gone with the shadows.

" **We are at war**!" his voice roared all around them, several minor gods whimpering and other desperately holding onto each other.

Athena didn't know what happened. Her knees simply gave out as she fell to them, her spear leaning against her as her arms fell limp, her heart still racing within her chest. She looked around weakly, suddenly feeling exhausted. Artemis was being helped by her hunters and Amazons to remove the spear still driven through her hip. Annabeth gingerly pulled the gladius from Apollo's thigh, and Zeus had moved to holding Hera from behind as the goddess cried her heart out, Aphrodite not too far behind, having taken comfort for once in the arms of her husband.

Then Athena did a double take as she looked at the freshly removed spear and then the gladius with Hera's Roman symbol etched near the hilt. It only took her a moment to recognize them as Thalia's spear and Jason's gladius, further proof that their heroes, if even alive, would not be there to help again.

' _…_ _What have we gotten ourselves into?'_

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Well ... that's certainly one way to kick off a war! More on the way so stick around! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	26. Third Front

**I'm sorry! I've been really busy with college so don't expect regular updates for the next month but I'll try my best! Loved the reviews and all that and it looks like the anticipation has been building on people. A hefty chapter for you all, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

Percy sighed as he watched the gods and guests alike mingle around the open courtyard behind the Temple of Primordials. It was lightly decorated with floating solid light lamps above their heads, a refreshment table and snack table running the length of the south end, and even a small band on a stage in front of the Sky Anchor or White Tree of the Council as it was known. The soft melodies feel into the conversations going around as gods convened, several having to make appearances for the first time.

All manner of minor gods had been turned throughout the years and were now finally in their true home, a few having even brought their own demigod children with them. Percy was sympathetic to the many nervous looks from said teens, most of them looking decidedly uncomfortable with so many beings famously known for throwing the worst temper tantrums for the smallest slights. Luckily there were many nymphs and satyrs milling about as well to make the atmosphere a little lighter.

As his gaze passed he noted his fellow council members. He chuckled as he noticed Styx, her ever teasing smile present, next to both Will and Nico as the pair blushed while sipping their martinis. Farther off Phoebe was speaking to some of her fellow gods born from her generation. Thalia was close by, surrounded by some of the present demigods as she answered questions about the past wars and such. Jason was farther down and speaking with Hercules, the strength god's face still beaming after seeing Hera so devastated.

It was rather morbid to note how so many of the gods present were brimming with glee at the display but then again, many of them had been present for the time of gladiators so taking joy out of an execution wasn't too far-fetched. He personally hadn't really relished in watching it or even doing it. To him it just felt like a job to do and there was no point to try to get anything more out of it. He'd already taken out his own revenge against the late god and all it had been was simply putting the poor bastard out of his misery.

He sighed again as he took a sip of his scotch, letting the burning liquid trail down his throat as he spotted the goddess who'd been plaguing his thoughts for many nights now. Andromeda stood off to a side, chatting with Medusa. The distance that had formed between the two had been … odd for him. Up until now he really hadn't realized how close she often was with him. Brushing shoulders, lingering touches, simply hugging her and pulling her close because he could. He missed it. He missed her.

And most of it was because of his own doubts.

Thank Chaos that he had two beautiful, strong, and understanding wives that helped him settle his thoughts … and finally come to a decision.

The last straw that pushed him to admitting his own feelings in that matter had been Hestia's all too innocent comment while he was sword training … thank goodness he usually trained in Tartarus.

' _Think of it this way Perce. How do you feel about Andromeda being in another man's arms?'_

His own anger at the thought had surprised him, driven home with how he actually cut down a mountain top in the process. He shook his head to rid himself of the memory and anger with it, barely stopping a growl from escaping his throat as he noticed how many eyes were roving over Andromeda's form from the guests. Luckily he'd had a break without anyone coming up to speak to him so he immediately set his path towards Andy. He guessed his face must have been intimidating at the moment since none approached but instead moved clearly out of the way.

As he moved Andy's eyes flicked up and met his, her own widening in slight surprise as Medusa glanced back to see him coming as well. Neither moved as he got closer, eyes only on him until he all but stood over them. He absentmindedly left his finished glass on a passing tray held by a wind spirit as he cleared his throat, feeling rather self-conscious in that moment.

"Andy, Medusa," he greeted lamely, already berating himself for not having thought of a better approach.

"Percy," they said together, Andy looking decidedly more nervous and he knew it was because of him.

Percy grunted a bit as he looked around before focusing on Medusa. "… Mind if I steal Andy away for a while?" he asked in a semi-whisper.

Medusa looked at him questioningly for a moment before glancing over his shoulder and suddenly breaking into a teasing grin that he'd come to associate with trouble for himself. He really didn't want to know what was it that made her give him that look.

"Of course, my lord," she replied with an added purr at his title as she gave Andy a quick wink and turning to walk away with a slight sway to her hips.

Once she'd seamlessly merged into the crowd Percy glanced back to Andy, noting her slight blush as she kept glancing down. ' _Cute,'_ he thought as he gingerly took one of her hands in his and gently leading her away from the courtyard and towards one of the little more private paths leading to the extensive gardens around the temple's sides. She didn't resist him as they walked, the hum of the crowd slowly fading into the background until he stopped near a small pond reflecting the moonlight.

He turned to look at Andromeda as she still kept her face lowered, her nervousness rolling off her in waves. His lips thinned as he used his free hand to softly tilt her head up, her eyes glistening as she finally met his gaze. He just looked into them, those jewels of lavender that were so calming to him. They stood in silence for some time, neither sure how to begin until Andromeda finally broke the spell.

"So … they told you…"

It wasn't a question. Ever since Hestia and Rhea had been confronted by Andy and Medusa, Percy hadn't had a chance to really speak with Andy aside from council meetings. All other times one or the other had been avoiding each other, unsure of what to do with the situation until now.

"Yes," he said gently as he let his hand fall as her head lowered slightly. "I've been talking to Rhea and Hestia about it for some time."

"… And what did they say?" she asked as she shuffled slightly.

"Well they weren't very happy at first and I didn't even know why, just that they came to bed being somewhat upset at times," he replied honestly as her gaze fell. "… But after a week or so they mellowed out and finally told me what happened. Turns out that they might agree to this."

Andromeda's head snapped up so fast Percy was worried she'd get whiplash.

"R-really?" she asked in a trembling voice. "But what about your vows?"

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair as he looked at her, wondering how to go about this.

"They've spoken to Styx and Lady Chaos on the matter," he answered before pausing as he bit his lip. "Depending on some wording, as long as all three of us agree to include the person in our relationship, it wouldn't go against our vows. But there is a bit of a catch," he added seeing how she was starting to get excited.

He still didn't know how she would feel about Hestia and Rhea's conditions. Andy frowned a bit at the catch part before nodding, "Okay, and what are they?"

And so he told her as best that he could. About his queens' concerns and their past experiences, what they thought about having more women joining their bed, and even how they would be distinguished. As he spoke Andy's expressions kept changing, ranging from surprise and an especially bright smile at the mention of her possibly marrying him to pensive on the thought of concubines. Once he wrapped up she scrunched her nose in that cute way that he knew meant she was in deep thought.

"So … if I agreed I could marry you," she said as she looked at him almost shyly. "But I'd also be married to Rhea and Hestia."

He nodded as she bit her lower lip slightly before she shrugged.

"I could definitely deal with that but …" she then paused as she looked at him intently. "… what do you feel Percy? I know you'd do this if you knew what it means for me but I don't want to force you into anything." She then looked down dejectedly. "I know you're really noble about these things and I love that about you but if this makes you unhappy in any—"

He cut her off with a finger to her lips as he eyes met his again.

"Then answer me this for a moment. Did you fall in love with me long before you became a goddess?"

She nodded slowly as his face broke into a smile.

"And being a Love goddess means you can't lie to yourself about your feelings right?"

She nodded again, this time looking surer of herself.

"Then I'll stop denying my own," he replied before he lowered his head to hers.

She gasped in surprise as their lips met for the first time in a gentle embrace. He relished in the soft feel as his arms slowly circled her waist and pulled her closer as she returned it in a moment with her hands rested against his chest. It lasted too short in his opinion though as they heard a throat clearing followed by a snicker as both broke the lip-lock and looked towards the noise.

There was Hestia and Rhea, both giving fanged grins as they looked between the two, at times eyeing how Percy's arms were still around Andy's waist. He glanced at her and noticed her silvery blush as she cuddled a little closer, partially turning her face away from the two goddesses that would obviously tease her on being caught.

"So I take it she agreed?" Rhea asked as Hestia giggled behind her hand.

"Yep," he replied, suddenly feeling as an immense weight had been removed from his shoulders, loving the feeling of having Andy in his arms again.

"Great," Hestia chirped as the two got closer. "Then that means we're all engaged!"

"Come here!" Rhea shouted in glee as she all but snatched Andy out of Percy's arms and pulled her in for a quick smooch.

Andy made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a squawk in surprise, too shocked to actually return it before Rhea broke off.

"Well someone needs to get more enthusiastic," she quipped before grinning shamelessly at Percy with quick glances at his lower regions. "Enjoyed the view?"

' _Yes,'_ he thought while studiously looking to Hestia and denying Rhea her entertainment. At least Hestia was on his side as she cuddled up to him, his arms automatically wrapping around her waist as the pairs eyed each other.

"So … what now?" Hestia asked after some comfortable silence.

Percy had been about to suggest heading back to the party for a little longer before heading home until he noticed how Andy was biting her lip nervously. "Andy, something on your mind?"

His question got his wives to focus on the love goddess as well, making said goddess look even more nervous.

"Um … I think that before we go any further, I need to tell you all something."

"… Yes?" Rhea coaxed after Andy remained silent for over a minute, her eyes looking anywhere but them.

"I might have, sort of, let my domains get the best of me … in regards to Percy," she supplied as they got even more curious. "And it has to do with my guardian."

"Which ones?" Hestia asked with an innocent tilt of her head.

"Procreation," Andy squeaked as she glanced at Percy before blushing furiously, all the while as Rhea narrowed her eyes.

"Explain," was Rhea's order as Andy gulped while shooting Percy a look.

It was the same one he'd gotten numerous times whenever Andy had gotten in trouble and was scolded by Nyx, which usually lead to said trouble having some form of connection to him. And he thought his personal troubles had been solved for the evening. Oh well, out of the pan and into the fire…

* * *

 **Later in the Night, Nico**

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, an unusual amount of sadness in his voice. "You said it would have taken possibly another year. What happened?"

"Ideally yes, it would have. By that time the council would have all but crushed most of the Olympians and stabilized most of the mystic world and only left to hunt down the cowards that managed to avoid death on the battlefields," replied a deeper, ancient voice. "However, between my assistance in reforming them, training you all, and your own exponential growth in power … it would be best to properly pass on the reigns sooner rather than later."

"… How many have awakened and escaped already?" he asked as he sighed, his hand running through his dark hair as he looked at his mentor.

"Koios, Krios, and Pallas have escaped to the surface already. Luckily the particularly messy titans such as Perses and Menoetius were hunted down and slain by Percy before they could realize I was weakening," Tartarus answered as he slumped into a large throne, looking down at Nico with dulling red eyes from within his ever-shadowing hood. "My days were always numbered since the days I created this prison and now that time is here."

Nico bit his lip as he digested his mentor's words. Tartarus, as well as the other primordials, had not always been wise or understanding. Once upon a time they were worse than anything the Olympians or Titans could have been combined. A time of endless creation and destruction on this planet until it nearly came to an end for all. When many of the elder primordials finally saw their own foully, it was almost too late. Unspeakable horrors roamed the world, the bones of ancient civilizations predating the modern man lying in ruin and forgotten to most, the skies raining fire and lightning while most of the seas churned with blood and acid. Day was scolding and night was freezing, the very air seeming to pulse with poison mist.

And worst of all, was the loss of their children within their own wars. The truth was that none of the known beings, from the Hundred-Handed Ones to the Titans were the first children of the protogenoi. There had been many before and almost all had met their end under the wrath of the primordials. Who these beings were or why the primordials had been so enraged to begin with, none of the elder gods would say.

That horror forced many of the elder protogenoi into self-imposed damnation. Erebus, suffering from a self-loathing of apocalyptic proportions, used most of his essence to cleanse some of the world before all but taking his own life. That lead to centuries of the world being blanketed in night as Nyx wept, even going as far as birthing Achlys, primordial goddess of Misery and Sadness. Aether, Hemera, and Chronos retreated into the heavens in isolation and shame. Gaea and Uranus went to sleep for a time, unable to cope with the destruction. And the eldest, Tartarus, being unable to eradicate all the creatures on his own at the time gave up his own true body to create a prison for the monstrosities they had released.

Only the strongest of beings could give up their body of birth and then recreate a new one but Tartarus didn't as another means of self-punishment. He remained mostly in a phantasmal state, watching over his prison meant to draw the essence of divine beings and monsters alike, keeping them apart where once they used to reform within days unless completely destroyed, and then hopefully keep them imprisoned within. Now with every day he spent with his temporary body created to train the new council and then blessing Nico, his time was running out. Having Nico claim his title as heir had been the final nail in the coffin.

"So … are you ready to claim your place by your brethren?" Tartarus asked, his voice truly carrying the weight of the eons on his shoulders. At Nico's hesitation, Tartarus continued. "You know you must. With the last of my strength I will keep the hordes of monsters still within Tartarus contained before you assume your reign but there will be a window where more could escape, especially the horrors within the bowels of this very castle."

As if to prove his point the entire castle shock with a muffled roar from the ground beneath them, the ancient Horrors, as they were known, having stirred upon feeling their shackles weakening. Dust rained down from the dark rafters of the massive hall as Tartarus slumped further into his throne. Nico grit his teeth but accepted that it was time and there was nothing he could do about it. He nodded before straightening himself and standing at attention to give his mentor his last respects.

" **I, Nico Di Angelo, am heir of Tartarus, Primordial of the Pit. Does anyone dispute my right?** "

Nothing the dust and faint screams of the damned answered him.

" **Then henceforward I claim my place as Primordial of the Pit!** " he shouted as the entirety of the castle began to shake.

His entire frame radiated dark red miasma and darkness, his veins glowing with hellfire coursing through them as pain assaulted him but he kept his eyes level with his mentor. He watched as an orb of churning purple and red phased out of Tartarus and slammed into his own chest, doubling the pain that he felt. It felt like he was burning for hours even if he knew it was only seconds as he felt an explosion of pressure through his back.

He finally dropped to a knee as he panted, the sweat literally steaming off his frame. As he hungrily gulped in the air he looked up to see his mentor's hood removed for the first time. Skin that had long since greyed and chalk white hair spilling to his cheeks, dull red eyes set within a sharp face looked at him. Tartarus, the most feared of the primordials, harbinger of damnation, never looked more human and frail even as a small smile adorned his face.

With a small nod and silence, a gentle breeze passed on the ancient throne of the eldest son of Chaos as he dissolved into white dust that almost looked as pure as billowing snow. His mentor and friend, gone for good. A quiet passing just like he would have wanted and all the while Nico couldn't stop the single tear that rolled down his cheek. Still, he pushed on as he stood, new power humming within him as the very Pit responded to his will … and he was angry.

He knew it would pass but not right now. Right now he missed his mentor, wished that he'd had more time to get to know and learn from Tartarus, to continue training under him and make him proud. To leave Tartarus with some true happiness after such a long time of misery. The others of the council had become the children the elder primordials had lost and each left with a smile for the brief time their family was whole. Tartarus was family to Nico, and if there was one thing that he could never deal with, it was the loss of family.

His fists clenched as he glanced over his shoulders to see his new wings. Black-charred bone, red torn membranes, and hellfire dripping off the fringes, how fitting. Without pause he turned from the throne as he summoned his blade, _Damnation,_ to his hand as he willed the throne floor before him to open. It cracked and groaned as it did so, revealing a seemingly endless pit of darkness and decay but within Nico could see the glowing eyes. Shades of reds, yellows, and orange locked onto him, growls and the sound of claws scrapping along echoed as the Horrors bore witness to their new jailor.

They had been lucky. Without his true body Tartarus had been unable to face them on equal footing and slay them. The other children of Chaos had lacked the ability to kill these beings. Their prison had been meant to weaken all but the master of the Pit and none of Tartarus' siblings could wield Hellfire, one of the few creations able to destroy even divine essence in mass … until the creation of Percy's Voidfire. However, Nico did not suffer these shortcomings.

Nico's grip on his sword tightened as the length ignited in Hellfire as he glared down at them. He knew Percy had eradicated the Horrors locked in the deepest reaches of the House of Night days after ascending himself and now it was Nico's turn to put to rest the last of the Horrors. And if it helped work out his own frustrations, all the better.

Without another sound, he took a step and descended into the true Hell of this world…

* * *

 **With Athena**

Athena dragged her feet as she walked back into the throne room, her eyes unusually dull as she looked around. The room was a mess, the previously spilled ichor still staining the floor as every torch was put out and the atmosphere was bitingly cold. Even now Athena could still hear Hera crying even from her palace lower on the mountain, and even now Demeter had joined her sister in terror for her daughter. Mere hours after the demon had appeared, Hades' throne along with Hestia's had cracked and fallen.

Two more Olympians gone as far as they knew and that had set off another chain of panic and hysterical gods. Demeter worried for Persephone but none dared venture to the Underworld in fear of a trap yet Demeter had almost gone. Only the swift reaction of Poseidon as he all but tackled his sister and knocked her unconscious before she could flash away had saved Demeter from meeting a possibly similar fate. Olympus was in upheaval as several more palaces and temples connected to numerous gods, many of which had disappeared, had crumbled as well.

Then she along with Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and Artemis once she was healed enough, had traveled to the camps to get a better look at what had happened … and it wasn't good. In camp Half-blood, entire cabins for the missing or dead gods had been literally swallowed by the earth. Some of the campers who witnessed it said that it looked like the massive maw of a lion had come forth to destroy said cabins while the campers of those cabins also vanished. Some fading into shadows, others whisked away in explosions of fire and even some struck by both white and blue lightning. Dead, kidnapped, or traitors, it was all unknown. Even worse still, Peleus and his charge, the Golden Fleece, had also disappeared without a trace amongst the confusion.

New Rome and Camp Jupiter hadn't been much better with a good half of the military barracks incinerated or leveled with earthquakes. The new coliseum was beyond repair and the fields of Mars looked more like a war zone after a bombing. It was nothing short of a miracle that all the present campers had been unharmed but even then, nearly 150 campers from the camps had disappeared with the 'attacks'. Many of the younger demigods had been struck to the core and the veterans were trying to run damage control but it was an uphill battle, not to mention a significant portion of New Rome was screaming for blood to the extent of foaming at the mouths. Seeing one of their patron gods murdered before their eyes had set them off like nothing else since the times of the Old Roman Empire.

And now it felt like the cold, bitter quiet before the storm and what was worst of all was that Athena knew nothing to prepare for it. Nothing she'd found even hinted to what or who Umbra was and now, either by choice or accident, Umbra had let slip that he wasn't acting alone but part of a group. And from what could be found, one had extensive control of the earth if they were able to set of earthquakes that Poseidon couldn't quell. It just felt like everything was falling to shambles around them.

She glanced at the damned sword still impaled in the hearth, a thin layer of frost having formed along the cracks and slowly spreading as time went on. The atmosphere was becoming so cold that Athena could even see her own breath and kept having to flex her fingers or else her hands would go numb. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed the arrival of her daughter.

"Mother," Annabeth greeted soberly as she walked up to stand beside the Olympian, both their grey gazes transfixed on the same blade.

They stood in silence for some time, both too embroiled in their raging thoughts to really speak much, at least until Annabeth asked a question.

"How are they?"

"Your siblings?" she returned without a glance and knew that Annabeth nodded. "Shaken but they should recover some by tomorrow."

"I heard that New Rome was already beginning to form up the war council and even called in all retired legionaries from across the country."

"They have but it won't do much good right now. Not without a lead at least," Athena supplied.

"They'll charge north then, it is the only clue any of us have," Annabeth continued as she crossed her arms under her bust. "But they could just as easily be heading into a trap. I think Leo and Calypso are going to try and convince them to be patient tomorrow."

Athena snorted at that. "Leo Valdez, practically the god of ADHD and excitement telling rabid romans to wait from going on the war path. I can already taste his success."

"Never thought I'd see the day you would be sarcastic," Annabeth muttered with a humorless smirk before her face got grim. "It isn't just the romans though. I've never seen Apollo that angry before and seeing his precious little sister hurt before being humiliated in front of all of Olympus and his children did not help his temper. I had to slap him across the face otherwise he was going to incinerate our whole temple if he didn't get some control."

"Ares' children are split up," Athena said as she stepped a little closer to Riptide to get a better look at it. "Most of the younger ones are in complete shock in both camps and the older ones were ready to march within the hour. Not to mention with the speculation about Hestia being dead too, a whole contingent of minor gods and several demigods that liked her want revenge too."

"It's all going to Hell," Annabeth sighed as she kicked a shield that had been dropped when all the demigods had armed themselves on Umbra's arrival.

Athena grimaced at the sharp clang of the metal but made no move to reprimand her daughter, a part of her also feeling like causing noise if only to distract her thoughts.

"The Amazons and Hunt are gathering as well," Annabeth commented idly as she watched the previously kicked shield sway along the curve of the guard.

"Yes, they'll group in New Rome and looks like Artemis is heading for aggressive recruitment from their ranks," Athena agreed as she heard some footsteps ascending the stairs to the throne room.

Both goddesses turned to see the angry face of Deimos, son of Ares and god of Terror, dressed in full war regalia. The breastplate, plated skirt, and helm all painted to resemble fresh split blood as the god's red eyes flashed with his barely contained rage, the grip on his spear leaving his knuckle bone white. He walked up to them before shooting a baleful glare at Riptide, as if blaming the sword for the fate of his late father, before looking to Athena.

"Lady Athena," he said curtly, barely managing to show some respect for his higher ups. "I've come to inform you that myself, as well as my brother, will be heading to New Rome to convene with Bellona for the war council."

Athena nodded in her acceptance. With her father tending to Hera and Poseidon back in Atlantis mustering his own forces, she was the de facto leader of Olympus and as first acting order had been to seal the mountain and erect a barrier to prevent flashing, thus hopefully cutting off any other gods possibly escaping as traitors. So far she had permitted only a handful of other gods to leave and even then she was keeping a wary eye.

"Very well but make sure that there are no actual movements until we can accurately plan an offensive. From what we know, our opponents are in the north but how far and their strengths are still unknown," she replied as she turned to look at the sword again.

However she heard Deimos clearing his throat and turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"My lady," he ground out, looking decidedly unpleased with how he addressed her. "Could I make a suggestion?"

"Speak," was the curt answer.

"What of making fodder armies from gathers monsters and the like? If we do not want to risk our forces what better way that throw together a monsters and have them function as scouts to find our targets?"

"It's risky though," Annabeth cut in as she narrowed her eyes. "A monster army could just as easily be turned on us if this demon offers them something better."

"Not to mention that we don't know if there hasn't been an army gathered already," Athena added. "It's just too risky at the moment and besides, counting the Amazons, the Hunt, and both camps along with vets coming back, we have a force of nearly a thousand, the most there has been centuries. Manhattan was defended by a fraction of that and held against thousands of monsters at the call of the titans, and that's not counting the fact that now Poseidon's armies are available as well. No, we will keep to our current forces for the time being."

Deimos didn't look happy at his idea being rejected but kept silent on the matter with a begrudging nod. He then looked to the impaled sword and sneered, "Why hasn't that sword of the coward been removed?"

"Don't call him a coward," Annabeth retorted as she narrowed her eyes at the god. "He faced you and your brother didn't he?"

"Perhaps," Deimos growled as he set his spear aside and approached the sword. "But he isn't here now and this is now just an eye sore."

Athena was getting a bad feeling as she looked at the sword as a thin mist wafted off it but before she could tell Deimos to be careful, he'd already gripped the handle. He grimaced slightly, likely from the cold of the metal, before he started to tug at it. Nothing happened though, and even as Deimos threw his body weight behind his pull, the sword refused to budge.

"Blasted sword," he grit out as he tossed aside his shield from his other hand.

"Deimos just leave it," Annabeth said in frustration but her words fell on death ears.

"No," be snapped as he moved his free hand to grip the sword along the edge of the hilt.

His grasp slipped though and his hand went beyond it, slicing his palm open the blade edge itself as he cursed out from the sting.

"Deimos just—"

"Aaahhh!"

Whatever Annabeth or Athena was going to say on the matter was quickly cut off as Deimos suddenly let go of the sword and started screaming. They both looked in alarm as the skin around the cut started to pale and then dull into shades of light blue and streaks of black slowly spreading around his hand.

"Deimos!" they both shouted as they rushed forward, the god throwing himself back as his uninjured hand clutched at the forearm of his left.

"Make it stop! It's freezing!" he shouted as some sort of curse started to rapidly spread through his hand, making its way up his wrist.

"Stop thrashing," Annabeth shouted as both goddesses tried to hold him down, looking at his freezing limb in increasing alarm.

Athena summoned a torch to herself and immediately placed the fire right under Deimos' hand but it seemed to do nothing as the black-streaked frost continued to climb past the wrist. Deimos' screams had also alerted other gods and Athena could feel Apollo and Hermes inbound as she held onto Deimos' bicep while Annabeth held his other arm and the god in question kept screaming and begging for it to stop. In a bright flash her half-brothers were there, rapidly scanning around with their weapons primed before their eyes settled on Deimos.

"What happened!?" Apollo asked as he quickly kneeled and looked to Deimos' arm.

"Don't touch it!" Athena shouted, not knowing it whatever curse had struck Deimos could be spread through contact. "He cut his hand on Riptide and started freezing but the fire won't do anything."

By now the frost was almost to Deimos' elbow and the god was in so much pain he'd been reduced to babbling and begging, tears beginning to form in his eyes as he thrashed even harder. Apollo cursed under his breath as he raised his hands over the frozen appendage and began to radiate a mix of raw sunlight and his healing magic but it barely seemed to slow the spreading frost.

His grit his teeth as he increased the input and soon the frost seemed to slow to a near stop but at the same time the unharmed skin at the border started to hiss and redden, burning under the Sun god's power and making Deimos scream that much more.

"To Hades with it!" Apollo snapped as he pulled out a golden blade and looked Athena in the eyes with his own glowing irises, as if the fury of the sun was behind them. "Hold out his arm!"

"What!?" Hermes and Annabeth called at the same time but Athena did as was told, knowing that when Apollo had that look in his eyes, he was not one to be disobeyed.

She held out Deimos' arm just below the shoulder as the minor god started to pull like a wild and cornered animal but now Hermes had jumped in and was helping Annabeth to hold down the god. Apollo breathed before raising his blade, the edge glowing golden and steaming in the chilled room, before swiftly bringing it down.

With sickening ease Deimos' arm was severed just above the elbow, the god releasing a higher pitched scream that made Athena's blood curl as she looked at the cauterized stump. All the while Deimos' severed arm fell to the floor before shattering on impact into morbid pieces of clumped flesh and bone. Apollo for his part was trembling as he looked at the stump, his face contorted in fury as Hermes was forced to clock Deimos over the head to knock the poor bastard out.

Annabeth and Athena released their holds over Deimos as the god slumped down, the roar of more footsteps approaching while other gods that weren't too busy at the moment flashed in. There was a chorus of noise as the newly arrived gods and some remaining demigods moved around to see what had happened and set up a perimeter, quickly noticing the injured god. Athena glanced to her brother, seeing him still fuming before he muttered under his breath, "I couldn't even do anything."

Before she could try to say anything on the matter he waved his hand and disappeared with Deimos in a flash, hopefully taking him to the infirmary. Athena for her part sighed as she stood, feeling even more tired as this terrible day seemed to simply get worse and worse. All eyes were on her, making her grimace before she glanced at Riptide.

"Nobody touches that sword," she ordered with authority as all nodded. "Clear out."

They started to shuffle along as Annabeth stood by her side, watching the gods and few demigods move. Athena herself had been preparing to flash to her palace and hopefully get some rest but then the frantic panting and running drew her attention as another satyr that she couldn't name ran up to her looking panicked.

"My lady!" he started as he nearly fell to his knees. "I bring news!"

"What?" she asked, already getting a feeling of dread in her chest.

"The grand oak in the Central Park, it was destroyed," he answered, the hints of fear induced madness glinting in his eyes. "The titan Hyperion had escaped!"

* * *

 **Next Morning, Percy**

Percy softly sighed as he wished he could be nursing a piping hot cup of coffee in his oversized hand, the dark liquid stirring within its bathtub size container, but sadly, he'd lost the appetite within moments of shadow traveling to their throne room. The night had been most … eventful. Sure, he was ecstatic that he finally got some closure with Andromeda and now they were making an attempt at a relationship, first starting only between themselves before involving Rhea and Hestia. However, the revelation of Andy's daughter which also meant _his,_ was not something any of them had been expecting.

Andy had gotten the chewing out of a lifetime for that and Percy was sure neither Rhea nor Hestia were anywhere near close to collecting everything owed to them. But Andy had owned up to it and was willing to take any punishments either of her queens could concoct. However, that wasn't the pressing issue at the moment. No, rather it was the news delivered just this morning by some of their scouts and judging by the expressions of the present council members, it wasn't good.

Jason was tapping his foot, his gaze on his lap. Thalia was focusing on a loose tendril of electricity running between her fingers. Hestia was exchanging worried looks with Rhea across from him while Styx kept glancing nervously at Nico's empty throne. Phoebe also wasn't present, searching for the escapes through her sight but she'd already been gone for an hour so he wasn't expecting the best news. As for Andromeda …

' _Speak of the devil,'_ he thought as he noticed his sis—fiancé he corrected—approach through the entrance hall, gently encouraging the young woman hiding slightly behind her as they approached. Dressed in a simple white chiton, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders all the way to her lower back. A figure echoing of her mother, tanned skin and eyes the color of freshly cared ice looking shyly in his direction. He sucked in a breath as he held her gaze, the gaze of his daughter, for the first time.

' _She's … perfect,'_ he couldn't stop himself from thinking as she nervously approached, one hand gripping the back of Andromeda's shirt like a child as her icy eyes nervously scanned the primordials present. Each of them watched her in turn, their gazes mostly neutral but the traces of warmth shone through their eyes. Even Rhea and Hestia, the only two with any reason to dislike his daughter's mere presence, smiled softly at her. After all, she was innocent of all possible transgressions and so neither of his wives would blame her.

However his musing were cut short was Andy smiled up at him, still in her mortal size, before she slowly stepped aside leaving their daughter alone before him. She gave something akin to a whimper as she looked at Andy but her mother made no move to return to her side, instead offering an encouraging smile and nod. Their daughter swallowed thickly before facing him again, the nervous energy rolling off her in waves.

"Mi-My lord," she said timidly with a small curtsy, her gaze lowered like a subject.

He frowned at that, wondering where she got it in her head that she needed to approach him like that. Andy most certainly didn't tell their daughter to be so formal given the perplexed look on her face. He understood that as being essentially an untitled goddess herself and already fully developed, his daughter's mind was also formed and had enough knowledge to get by as an adult until taught more or connected to a domain, but that didn't mean she was necessarily ready to act on it. For all essential purposes, she was a child with the body and knowledge of an adult, and somewhere along that way, she'd thought it prudent to act like a simple subject before their rulers.

Well, after years of symbolically and literally flipping off pompous and highly temperamental beings as a pass time, he was having absolutely none of this formality. So with a slight grin, he reached down and placed his hand before her, startling her slightly as she jumped with a squeak. She glanced between him and his hand, as if asking for verbal permission, to which he nodded encouragingly. Getting a shy smile in return, she gingerly sat in his open palm and then he brought her up to his eye level.

They stared off for a few seconds before he gave his warmest smile and broke the silence.

"Hello there little one," he said softly.

"My king ..." she started only for him to delicately interrupt.

"Hey, none of that now. You're my daughter, you don't need to be so formal with me."

That got a slightly surprised look from her but then it turned into a bright smile as she gazed at him.

"Papa," she said, her voice as innocent and pure as she was, as she leaned forward in his hand, her hands reaching for him.

Understanding the gesture he brought her closer until she reached out and hugged what she could of his cheek, her bright smile glowing up at him with a tear or two of happiness. He shared the feeling as he used his free hand, or more specifically, free finger, to gingerly stroke away the tears, all the while mirroring, "The same smile as your mother."

She only seemed to get happier at the comparison and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Andy beaming from her throne as well, though she winced when moving about. The price to pay for suffering a thousand spanks from Rhea and Hestia … each. Not his concern at the moment as he focused his attention onto his daughter, pulling his hand back slightly to get a better look at her even though she pouted at the loss of contact making him chuckle.

"Now, can I get my daughter's name?" he asked her only to have her blush in embarrassment.

"I don't have one," she murmured before Percy shot Andy a questioning look.

"I thought it would be appropriate for you to name her," the Love goddess replied with a shrug, only to wince again with her movement much to the dark amusement of Rhea and Hestia.

"Well then, what to name a beauty like you?" he asked with his usual grin, causing his daughter to blush more while also smiling shyly.

However as she did so, he noticed that her arms were starting to change as black down and feathers started to form along them. He watched in fascination along with the rest of the present council, his daughter also looking at her arms in surprise as they continued to change. Soon her arms had completely changed to rather large, black feathered wings much like his own, with the thumb having turned into on flexile talon. She started at them, perplexed, before she gave one test flap and immediately launched herself with a startled gasp.

"Papa!" she cried in alarm as she lost balance within seconds and looked like she was about to fall.

Luckily he caught her without issue, even going as far as giving her an amused smile as she sat up in his hand and half-heartedly glared at her wings.

"So, a little bird much like your mother," he mused as she inspected herself.

' _Yet her feathers had a similar dark aura to mine and her eyes are too icy to be like Andy's birds of Paradise. No, she is a predator like me, I can see it,'_ he thought as he noticed the slight fangs she had just barely peeking out through her parted lips. ' _Her wings look like those of a raven … wait …'_ he paused as he looked at her intently for a moment. She noticed and looked at him while squirming slightly at the intensity in his eyes, until he spoke up.

"Raven … how does that sound?" he asked, wondering if she would approve of the name.

She looked at him for a few moments of silence before breaking out in a grin and nodding enthusiastically.

"So my little Raven it is then," he stated, his newly named daughter beaming at him as she shuffled her arms until the turned back into regular arms in a few seconds.

"I like it," she chirped happily and he was about to introduce her to Rhea and Hestia properly until he sense a familiar presence approaching.

He reacted in reflex and covered Raven as she turned to look at the spot most likely meant for the arrival but Percy wasn't willing to test if she could stand the sight of a primordial. In a few seconds a bright flash lit the room before fading to reveal a newly arrived Nico.

However, this was a newly formed and currently bloody Nico. His distinctly skeletal and Hellfire wings shuffling slightly, the now hundred foot god covered from head to toe in grim and black, sludge-like blood along with a few scrapes showcasing his own platinum ichor. His sword was held at his side and he looked remarkably tired, the atmosphere quickly sobering as everyone recalled the feeling they'd gotten late into the night.

It had been faint but even while sleeping, they'd felt Tartarus passing. Percy wasn't really surprised, knowing Tartarus and how he would prefer a quiet passing rather than the rather showy departure of Nyx and the others. Before Percy could ask Nico how he was holding up he caught the sound of clacking heels and all turned their gazes to the throne entrance as Phoebe ran in, growing by the step until she stood beside the newly arrived Primordial of the Pit. Without precursor her eyes glowed in an eerie green light as she spoke.

" **Hail, Nico Di Angelo, Primordial God of the Pit, Judgement, and Evil!** " she declared as a wave of power rolled of Nico.

Percy flared his own power to coat Raven and protect her from the aura of malevolence and fear coming off their newest and last member of the primordial council. Nico gave a nod to Phoebe and took his seat quietly, leaning his claymore against the side as his white marble throne turned into black bone and brimstone with licks of Hellfire coming off the backrest. Phoebe took her seat as well, beginning to session for the morning.

Percy glanced at Raven in his hand, deciding to complete introductions later and carefully tucked into a newly formed coat pocket right over his right peck. It seemed like a good spot rather than constantly worry about his movement and accidently making her fall off or something and he didn't want to send her out after just meeting her. She squeaked in surprise but her head quickly popped back out of the pocket as she sent him a questioning look. She didn't press the issue though as she turned to the far more entertaining meeting about to begin, even going as far as snuggling around until she was comfy within his coat of darkness.

With that settled her returned his attention to the floor and noticed that they were waiting on him. Clearing his throat he turned to Nico first, bringing him up to speed and leaving the matter of Tartarus alone. If Nico wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up, otherwise it was best left unsaid.

"Nico, I don't know if you were informed since you seemed … preoccupied, so just to let you know, several titans have gone off grid. Namely Hyperion is free again and Pallas had surfaced recently but he's out of sight too."

"And I couldn't find them either," Phoebe added as she bit her lip in worry. "I was hoping to find Koios too but he's hidden from my sight as well."

That did not bode well, not at all. It was once thing for a god or titan to hide their aura as much as possible and minimalize their presence or erecting a barrier to hide themselves but it was a completely different task to simply disappear from all their combined senses around the planet. The simple matter of the fact was it takes a primordial to run interference with another primordial, and that was something the new council had hoped to avoid at all costs.

"So … they are moving as well," Jason surmised as he looked around, noting the thin set lips and narrowed eyes of the council.

"I thought if we stayed out of his turf he would leave us alone for now," Thalia growled as her fingers crackled.

"Ideally but as Tartarus said last night," Nico cut in, his voice sounding far more tired than usual. "Things are moving faster than we could have anticipated. We know that he didn't approve of us the minute Gaea was defeated and that he would try to throw his weight around."

"Yeah but was it too much to ask for him to wait until we get rid of our pest problem first? Of course, he'll give us all the time in the world, I mean, it's not like we're all immortal and he hasn't interacted with the mortal or mystic world in millennia since naming Oceanus his favored nephew," Styx said sarcastically. "With our luck, anything that has a chance of going wrong will in some way."

"Someone's being oddly pessimistic," Hestia muttered before focusing on the whole council. "Regardless, it would seem that Pontus and Thalassa are becoming active participants in our war and from the looks of it, they're gathering their own support now."

"So a third party huh?" Rhea commented as she ran a hand through her deep brown locks. "Perfect. Like it wasn't tricky enough with fighting the Olympians while trying to spare as many demigods as we can and trying to reintroduce ourselves into the mortal world."

"If we are fighting and running socio-political marathons with the mortals at the same time, we're going to be as subtle as the Minotaur in a china shop," Thalia commented dryly. "So not much chance for all covert operations and slowly ripping apart the Olympians from the inside out."

"I wouldn't say that," Percy replied with a smirk as his eyes glowed with anticipation. "We'll just need to be more creative is all. As far as we know, right now Pontus might be collecting some of the hidden titans and other monsters that managed to escape the Pit in the last few months with Tartarus weakening but he will have to deal with possible interference from the Olympians as well." He then paused as he glanced down at Raven to see her watching all with rapt attention, before he turned to Phoebe. "Phoebe … release the barrier hiding our presence, I think it's time that they all know _exactly_ where we are."

"They're going to be on our doorsteps soon enough," Phoebe sighed as she absently waved her hand and a wave of pressure rolled off the mountain, acting like a beacon to every divine being and monster alike saying the same thing. 'We are here, come and face us if you dare'.

Percy couldn't keep the predatory grin off his face as his anticipation grew. He then looked to the ever silent Lupa, the loyal goddess in her wolf form having laid at his side from the moment he arrived to the room.

"Lupa, gather the pack, we're heading out within three days," he ordered, watching as the goddess' ears perked up before she stood, bowed to him, and leapt away in a burst of shadows to gather his strongest wolves from across the globe. His personal pack, 25 strong and each on par with a minor god, with the strongest four and Lupa being near or on Olympian level respectively.

"So we can finally join in on the action huh?" Jason asked as his normally cool exterior started to thrum with pent up energy. "So … what's first?"

Phoebe's knowing grin quickly drew their attention as she smirked before answering, "Well, it looks like the huntress is getting ready to take her little band out to New Rome via her chariot. Wouldn't it be a shame if something happened along the way?"

The downright malicious smirks were her only answer …

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Ahh, that felt so good to write out. I've been trying to iron out some details for ages! Hope everyone enjoyed that. Let me hear your thoughts on the matter.**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	27. Hunter Turned Hunted

**Author's Note: A hefty chapter for you all! As always, loving the reviews and questions so don't be shy! Some action and tension to keep them hearts racing!**

 **BTW, question at the end of the chapter I would love answered so please read that.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot**

* * *

 **Several Days Later, Jason**

The primordial of light cracked a slight grin as he watched the sight before him. Just over the open courtyard of the Temple of Primordials, Andromeda was currently helping her daughter master her flight skills. Andy was currently at her godly form as Raven flew around her, practicing dives and barrel rolls under the careful observation of her mother. So far she had gotten a good handle on herself, even if the start had been rather rocky but between Percy and Andy, Raven had progressed quickly and had already shown talent in wielding swords much like her father.

Raven had also wormed her way into the heart of the council members within hours, being simply too adorable and bubbly to the point that Rhea nearly hugged the stuffing out of her. Though Jason was a little worried when said goddess got a mischievous glint in her eyes as she looked to Percy. Hestia wasn't far off either and now that the queens had only started collecting their pounds of flesh from their new fiancé, their attention was turned towards the war and any possible mischief at Percy's expense for the time being.

Speaking of pound of flesh, Jason glanced over his shoulder and looked out past the edge of the mountain to see a nearly hundred meter trench still marring the view with trees and boulders crushed around it. That had been the first payment when Rhea walked out with Andy and slugged her across the cheek with enough force to launch her like a canon. Hell, even days later Andy was still sporting that shiner along her right cheek. His shivered at the thought of what other possible punishments the queens would enact until they allowed Andy to officially marry and consummate said union.

He shook his head with a rueful smile as he glanced back and noticed his friend arriving, his own fanged grin being ironically bright for the god of Darkness.

"Percy," he greeted.

"Jason," Percy returned as he stepped beside him and looked up fondly at his fiancé and daughter.

"Ready to head out?" Jason asked as he noted the sun's descent.

A predatory smirk was the answer as Percy opened and clenched his hands.

"The pack is in positon, all they need is some timely Deus ex Machina," he returned as they both looked to Raven and Andy, who'd returned to mortal size, as the pair descended towards them.

"Papa!" Raven shouted in glee as she tackle-hugged her father in the chest, getting a hearty chuckle from Percy as he returned the embrace. "Did you see that? I finally got my flying down!"

"Yes and good job, hatchling," he teased making Raven blush and pout. Leave it to Percy to find a way to annoy someone within days of meeting them. "Anyways, I'm going to be heading out."

"Aww, do you have to?" Raven asked with big eyes that Percy expertly avoided by focusing on Andy, leaning over Raven to give Andy a quick peck of a kiss.

"See you all later," he said with a wink before dissolving into shadows before Raven could react, otherwise she would have used her new abilities to hitch a ride with him.

Dotting father and clingy daughter, what a pair indeed. Chaos save whatever poor fool or girl tries to get Raven's attention in the future. Girl was practically the princess of the mountain at the moment and had several overly powerful parents, uncles, and aunts all too willing to skin possible suitors alive. Still, Raven was already maturing and within the next week or so she would probably come into the fully adult mindset necessary for her purpose. She was her mother's guardian after all. Born with the necessary powers and already fully blessed, all that was left was getting her proper attire and weapons before she was set loose.

Still, for now he gave a cheery wave to the mother and daughter pair before dissolving into light particles. His world distorted around him for all of five seconds before he solidified again in the House of Primordials, near the balcony overlooking the planet below them. He quickly spotted his sister sitting comfortably on the edge, her bow, _Genesis_ , held lazily across her lap.

"Is it time?" she asked without turning to face him, her face set in stone as her eyes narrowed over the continental US.

"Percy's already left to meet up with his pack," Jason supplied as he stepped up beside his sister and looked down at the world. "It would be so easy, you know," he idly murmured as he looked at the silent globe while his sister glanced at him. "To just attack from here and destroy them all," he continued as a spear of white lightning formed in his hand as his eyes landed on Olympus, the clouds doing little to block his sight.

"Yeah but it looks like we're keeping to the moral high grounds rather than going with Armageddon mode," Thalia replied with a finishing snort while Jason rolled his eyes. Sure, they were better than the Olympians at this point, but a moral high ground, there was not. "Don't worry, you'll get to shoot good old Olympus out of the sky … eventually."

"Speaking of shooting things out of the sky," Jason continued as he tracked the little sliver dot currently heading out over Missouri.

"Way ahead of you," Thalia returned as she leveled Genesis, a narrow bolt of lightning forming a notched arrow.

"Remember, shock and awe. We want there to be survivors … mostly,' he commented idly.

"Makes me wonder if it would be more merciful to just take them all out in one shot. Are we sure pushing Artemis into a corner this far will be best?"

"One, ancient laws still apply. Artemis is fair game but intentionally targeting her hunters without a challenge or them attacking first is a big no … unless you pass it off as a freak lightning strike."

"We declared war though so hostilities are open," she returned with a quirked eyebrow.

"It's the principle of the matter," he refuted while doing his best to down his embarrassed blush. Forgetting the war loophole of all things! "Anyways, two, the idea isn't elimination just yet. Cutting the numbers down sure but it's the moral we're going after. It will make her more dangerous, sure, but also enrage her beyond thinking rationally. That and being one of the pillar goddesses in time of war, her temper will have worse results on her own allies," he replied as he formed many, smaller bolts of white lightning as he picked out his targets.

Best not to have the other Olympians jump in for back up. What better way than numerous attacks on possible key points for them such as the locations of hidden weapon stores, armories, and currently empty spots within the camps?

With that thought, the siblings watched as the silver dot kept moving westward, zipping past some clouds and over cities without any form of protection.

"Just before she reaches the Rockies, right?" Thalia asked as she started to pull her arrow back.

"Mhm," he hummed as he narrowed his eyes and spread the mini bolts further apart. "Wait for it … oh, an try not to one-shot Artemis out of this whole war either."

"…" Thalia grumbled something about patience and his unnecessary talking making him smirk slightly.

"Don't miss," he quipped just as Artemis was leaving the border of Kansas and into Colorado.

Thalia released the shot with a whip like crack, the bolt parting through the atmosphere and the few clouds in that way.

"That's the thing little bro," Thalia said as she gave him a sidelong glance. "… I don't miss."

* * *

 **Hunter (Kelly)**

Kelly squinted her eyes as the winds pulled at her hair, standing right behind Artemis as her new lieutenant of the Hunt. Artemis kept her sight forward on the reigns, constantly urging her reindeer to go faster even as half the Hunt gripped that mere ropes along the edges of the sleigh in death grips. As they passed over the middle of nowhere, otherwise known as Kansas, Kelly couldn't help but get a troubled feeling.

Ever since that meeting just days ago Olympus and the camps had been a wreck. Anyone having even a slightly positive view of Ares (the amount actually surprised her) were akin to rabid dogs at the moment, and plenty were calling for justice on Lady Hestia's behalf as well. Having Deimos bedridden and in shock for two straight days, having lost his shield arm and driving Phobos into a rage had only increased the panic and near hysteria. Now the gods were trying to rapidly move the demigods to one location, having chosen that Camp Jupiter and New Rome were far more suitable.

However, not wanting to risk possible exhaustion through flashing all the campers and supporting satyrs when attacks from Umbra could come at any minute, the gods had each taken turns making trips with campers. Artemis and Apollo having some of the fastest none teleportation methods of the present gods had made a schedule to alternate on their nightly trips. That was why along with the 22 hunters, there was also nearly 15 added campers on Artemis' extended sleigh. Now though they were out and in the open, and Kelly was not liking how her gut decided pulling crunches at this time was in anyway helpful.

"My lady!" she called over the roaring winds, though luckily Artemis heard her somehow.

"Yes?" she asked with a glance over her shoulder, her once empty blue-silver eyes burning with indignant fury ever since being speared through by Umbra.

"How much longer will it be before we arrive?" she asked, wanting to get out of the open skies as soon as possible.

"Less than an hour," she replied before turning to face the battering winds.

Kelly bit her lower lip as she glanced back again, making sure none of the campers (females obviously) had somehow fallen off in the time it took for that small exchange. Wouldn't be the first time someone, usually a new hunter, fell off during a ride on the sleigh.

However, her inspections were cut short as she heard a distant rumble overhead. It seemed that Artemis heard it too as both looked up only for their eyes to widen at bolt heading their way.

"Get down!" Artemis roared over the winds as she violently jerked the reigns to turn out of the way … too late.

"Artemis!" she screamed as the bolt struck right through the front of the sleigh, grazing the goddess' right side and destabilizing the sleigh. Several of the hunters and campers screamed as Artemis, bleeding from her right side with her right arm hanging limp, trying to regain the reigns but it was no use as the sleigh took a dive with the panicking deer.

Kelly watched in horror as the beginnings of the Rockies and forest rapidly approached them, her stomach dropping and ears popping painfully at the sudden drop in pressure. The crack of wood and metal tipped her off that the sleigh wouldn't hold much longer as it was, some of the deer pulling off when their harnesses were strained beyond hold. ' _We're gonna die,'_ Kelly suddenly thought as she looked at the ground less than a thousand feet away and getting closer. They were going too fast and Artemis couldn't pull them up.

Only enough she felt no fear at the realization, only cold resignation and detachment. Her last moments were amusement of all things as Artemis suddenly turned to her, horror flashing in her eyes, before the goddess pulled her into a tight embrace. Kelly smiled at that, almost remembering the days when Artemis was so much kinder before the second Giant War's conclusion.

"It was an honor my lady …"

 **Crash!**

* * *

"…p"

"…"

"K… ne … ease!"

"…mm …"

"Ke … up!"

"… w-wha—?"

Kelly's eyes blurred open as something roughly shook her shoulder. It took all of three seconds before the pain of having her form shaken registered as she gasped, only for more pain to flare. Whoever was shaking her luckily stopped as Kelly blinked back the tears and tried to get ahold of her surroundings. She noticed that while being shaken she had been moved into a sitting up position and reclining against a tree, the beat up face of Sahara, another hunter, looked at her in worry.

"Kelly?" Sahara asked hesitantly as she wriggled her hands nervously, her own forehead bleeding over the left side.

"Yes?" she replied, wincing as she adjusted slightly before tenderly placing her hand just below her left breast and gasped slightly again. At least one broken rib and another fractured.

"Do you think you can stand?" Sahara asked before the brunette glanced over her shoulder. "I think we're trying to group together before moving out and hopefully finding some cover."

Kelly followed her line and sight to see a long trench with broken trees some meters away with hunters and campers alike moving towards Artemis as the goddess splinted the leg for one of the joining campers. It seemed her own injury had healed enough to use both arms but just barely since Kelly could see Artemis grimace with every move of her right side. Kelly then did a quick scan of all the hunters and campers present, marveling at the fact that none seemed to have died.

"Any losses?" she asked as she bit her lip and forced herself to her feet before stumbling until Sahara got underneath her right arm to support her.

"Oddly enough no," Sahara replied with a slight shake of the head before frowning as she looked to the totaled sleigh. "It's weird though. The ground around that trench the sleigh made was soft … unusually so."

"Not enough to avoid the broken bones though," Kelly muttered as they limped together towards the group.

They reached them in a minute or so, Kelly cursing her injuries all the while though thankful that her apparent end had not come just yet. Maybe she could get another hug after this was all over? That sounded nice.

Still, the hunters stood silently as Artemis finished with the camper who was then supported by another older looking camper. Thank goodness none that came were younger than 13—hunters withstanding considering all current members were at least a decade old or more since joining the Hunt—but now they needed to get a move on. One bolt came down and there was nothing saying another couldn't follow soon.

"Everyone gathered?" Artemis called as she looked them over, her parka matted with ichor and a new cut running the length of her left thigh.

She got murmurs of agreement from all. Plenty of bruises and some broken bones but all travel worthy as far as demigods went. Artemis nodded on approval before she tilted her head up and narrowed her eyes at the sky in the mountain's direction. She kept staring for a minute as the girls got restless before she muttered, "Something isn't right."

Before Kelly could even ask there was another bolt of lightning struck making plenty of the girls shriek before rain started pouring on them. Kelly stared up at the newly formed rain clouds in shock, knowing that it had been clear not even a minute ago. There was no way this downpour wasn't divine in nature but who the Hades!?

"Did something make Lord Zeus angry?" Sahara asked beside her as she furiously blinked away the rain batting at their eyes.

"This wasn't father," Artemis answered for her as she looked around, her bow already in hand.

At once all the hunters, even Kelly though the pain was practically killing her, drew their bows with arrows at the ready. The campers present also pulled out their weapons, mainly swords and some bows, as they circled up but the rain was being a bitch to see through. Nothing could be heard aside from the rain as well and with every second passing the temperature kept dropping. ' _Wait, colder?'_ she wondered as she breathed out and saw her breath misting over.

Before she could question it there was a loud thud making her jump as she looked at Artemis' feet to see a pitch black arrow missing her foot by inches. Artemis aimed her bow in the direction the arrow came from and let loose a silvery arrow. The other hunters aimed in that direction but they couldn't see more than a dozen or so feet in any direction with the rain and dark clouds eating up all the light.

"D-did you get it?" one of the campers asked nervously while holding a bronze sword in trembling hands.

Another arrow passing close enough to cut the cheek of the girl who'd spoken was the answer to that. More arrows soon followed as the girls ducked and covered but they couldn't pinpoint where the arrows were coming from.

"Run! We're too open!" Artemis ordered as she fired a salvo into the direction of the black arrows.

The hunters hesitated but Artemis sent them a writhing glare that got them moving along with the campers in the middle of them. As them moved Kelly glanced back to her mistress along with Sahara only for their eyes to widen as they saw a black blur come out from the trees on her blindside.

"Lady Artemis!" they screamed as a horse sized black wolf bodily tackled the goddess into another patch of tightly packed trees, their forms being hidden in the rain and darkness.

Sahara pulled to a stop and was about to turn but Kelly grabbed her shoulder and jerked her forward.

"We have to help her!" Sahara shouted but Kelly was having none of it.

"Our lady can handle one oversize mutt! We need to move like she said and she'll catch up," Kelly returned as she started to move again, fighting through the pain as they caught up to the larger group of girls keeping pace for the campers, Sahara following close behind.

"Stick together!" she shouted over the downpour as the girls burst through thick foliage and ducked around trees.

They moved in near silence for over ten minutes as Kelly kept glancing around to see if Artemis had caught up but there was no sign of the goddess.

 **Boom!**

Kelly stumbled slightly as the earth and forest shook around them, her eyes darting back to the direction of Artemis but before she could voice any concerns her blood ran cold as she noticed _several_ large black blurs moving just within the fields of her vision. ' _A pack,'_ she thought in horror as she turned to the group of girls that had paused with the sudden miniature earthquake.

"Keep moving, there are wolves on our tail!" she shouted, getting several alarmed looks as the girls started to really haul ass.

Kelly fell into the back as she kept an arrow notched and watched their flanks but then a hunter screamed as she fell to the side, a black arrow buried in her side. Before anyone could go to help her, the hunter was silenced as another arrow buried itself in her throat, the sound of the hunter—Natalie if Kelly could see right—gurgling and drowning in her own blood sounding oddly clear even through the rain and occasional thunder clap.

More arrows followed forcing the tightly knit group to disperse into clumps or alone, many shouting in freight and some firing random arrows back into the trees. Kelly was back-to-back with Sahara, the younger hunter trembling as she looked around wildly. Kelly turned her attention to an enraged shout and saw another one of their hunters standing a few meters away while firing up into the tree tops.

"Dana, over here!" Kelly called to her, getting the blonde hunters attention.

The hunter nodded and ran at them, taking all of three steps before a black blur tackled her right into the bushes across from Kelly and Sahara.

"Dana!" they both screamed as they ran to the thrashing bushes and Dana's screaming.

Kelly tripped over some mud though and fell to her knees just a few feet away, looking at the bushes before water suddenly splashed in her face along with Dana's screams being cut off. She furiously wiped away at the liquid only to notice it was leaving her eyesight hazy. She glanced at her hand wondering if there had been mud on it only to stop cold at the sight. That hadn't been water splashed into her face, but blood. She looked back to the now silent bush, one bloodied and dirty hand sticking out from under the leaves but nothing else.

Kelly swallowed thickly as she turned away from the bush and looked to the others girls, her own hands shaking on her bow. A quick count of the hunters she could see already told her at least three were missing and another was pinned by the forehead to the tree right behind her. More arrows rained down as the girls started to well and truly panic, making them run again as another hunter was picked off with an arrow to the knee. Kelly glanced back only to see two wolves pounce on the girl and drag her into the shadows as she screamed and cried for help … but they couldn't do anything already.

Kelly's attention was brought forward again, seeing as their numbers started to dwindle before a searing pain in her right shoulder made her cry out and buckle to the left, knocking Sahara down with her. They both fell to a halt, getting separated from the routed group of hunters and demigods.

"Kelly!" Sahara shouted as she moved around to see the arrow buried right in her shoulder along the rotator cuff. "This looks back," she muttered while Kelly resisted screaming 'No shit!' She grit her teeth through it though, having suffered far worse pain in her two centuries of being a hunter.

Sahara didn't give her a warning though as she grabbed the shaft and pulled it with a meaty squelch as Kelly couldn't stop the scream this time around. Sahara cringed at it as she tossed the damn arrow away before holding Kelly while trying to check the opening.

"Oh no," Sahara gasped in horror making Kelly look at her in further alarm. Catching her eye, Sahara swallowed before murmuring, "You're … freezing."

Kelly could have sworn her heart paused for a good three seconds as she digested those words, the gravity of her situation setting in along with probable shock leaving her numb to the once blaring pain. She couldn't even speak as she slowly looked at her shoulder while pulling back the torn sleeve of her parka, seeing the already blueish flesh of the hole left by the arrow and watched it slowly spread like a living virus eating at her skin.

She'd gotten the accounts from Athena just the other night when the goddess came to the camp to tell the campers the plan and answered questions about Deimos and Percy's sword. If this was the same curse…

Seemingly reading her thoughts Sahara brought out a knife, the silvery edge glinting with a sudden crack of lightning as her fellow hunter's eyes narrowed with determination.

"What are you…?"

"Cutting the cursed flesh out," Sahara replied as she aimed the knife point.

"Are you crazy!?" Kelly shouted as she backed away. "The arrow went to the deep muscle, there's no way we're getting that out!"

"I'm not losing you too!" Sahara returned with a desperate glint in her eyes.

"I'm already dead!" Kelly shouted back, tears streaming down her face. "Just go and catch up with the others before it's too late!"

Sahara shock her head as her lips started to quiver, the knife falling out of her grip.

"No," she whimpered as Kelly tried to shove her to move.

"Why!? You have a chance, just go!" Kelly shouted at her but Sahara shock her head again. "Why are you staying with me!?" She just couldn't get this girl. It was one thing if she was just hurt and needed help moving, it was another being afflicted with a freezing curse that even Apollo couldn't heal.

"I won't …" Sahara murmured as she griped Kelly's shoulders, making the lieutenant look into her light blue eyes. "I won't leave you because I lo—"

 **Squelch!**

Kelly blinked. And then blinked again, the sight not properly registering in her mind as she looked at Sahara. Said hunter was looking wide eyed back at her, her face paling as blood started to pour through her parted lips. As if in sync both looked down to see a black-scaled tail of all things impaled just below her sternum, through her back and out her front.

Sahara coughed slightly as the tail end twitched before slowly rising, taking Sahara with it as Kelly watched in numbed shock, unable to even muster the strength to grab her down bow or even move more than looking at her fellow hunter.

The long black tail curled around as it held the hunter up to a tree just above them, the body of it going into the shadows of the leaves before a low, near seductive giggle rang through even the sound of the rain. Kelly watched in horror as a woman's upper body connected to the snake body at the hips leaned out of the tree. Black hair cascading down to her back, deep blue eyes with narrowed pupils, a small grin with glinting fangs, all decorating a flawlessly creamy skin. Topped with a black corset that teased bountiful cleavage and a large black bow in hand.

A beautiful death if ever there was one.

Kelly watched as the monster any demigod should recognize, Lamia, pulled Sahara in and gave the hunter a full on kiss. She watched, minutely aware that her entire right arm was useless and the frostbite was spreading to her collarbone. She watched as Sahara's skin paled at the lips to a light blue with black streaks at a far faster rate than the curse left by the arrow. Within seconds the frostbite spread and from underneath Sahara's parka what was visible of her belly and arms was already freezing. It took no more than a minute until Lamia pulled back from the kiss, idly licking the blood acquired on her own lips before looking to Kelly and smirking.

"I guess one little kiss was a too much for the pretty hunter," Lamia teased before glancing at the frozen corpse still impaled on her tail. "Oh well, she wasn't much anyways."

With that Lamia dismissively looked away as her tail flexed, shattering Sahara at the middle and leaving her halves to crash onto the floor and breaking into even smaller chunks.

"What about you lieutenant?" Lamia asked her as she lowered herself more after glancing at the little tiara still somehow on Kelly's head.

Kelly couldn't find a voice to reply as a number of wolves suddenly came from within the trees, each at least as large as a horse if not larger. All had icy blue eyes and oddly enough white fangs tipped with the same blue coloration. Again that resignation, the very same as when they were falling from the skies, came to her. Detached, devoid of dignity or pride in her last moments with her body beginning to shot down.

"My lady will come for revenge," Kelly murmured as the last of her strength simply started to seep away as the cold came to claim her.

Lamia leaned even closer, the sweet scent of mint wafting through her lips as she looked into Kelly's eyes.

"That's what we're hoping for," she whispered as her tail reared up again, the end pointed straight at Kelly's head. "But don't worry, you'll be seeing your sisters again … in Tartarus."

Lamia's tail lunged forward and Kelly knew no more…

* * *

 **Artemis, Minutes Earlier**

She shot arrow after arrow into the downpour, her godly sense being the only way she knew an enemy was even in the direction of the mountain. Still, even with her sight she could not make out more than blurred figures looking relatively humanoid. She could hear her hunters already running as she ordered. ' _Now I can focus on finding our attacker,'_ she thought grimly.

"Artemis!"

The goddess glanced back to see why her lieutenant had called out to her but her eyes widened as a massive black wolf tackled her. The wind was knocked out of her as she was sent tumbling through the trees. Pain flared through her injured side but she managed to push through it as she straightened herself in midair and landed on her feet even as the momentum carried her several more feet.

Once at a stop she dematerialized her bow in favor of drawing her silver knives, each one measuring close to two feet and screaming for blood. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the wolf that had tackled her, unable to shake the feeling that the wolf was familiar somehow. Unlike Umbra, who'd been pure black and had gleaming, icy blue eyes, this she-wolf had yellow-silvery eyes and red fringes along her back and sides. However the power coming off the wolf was nothing to scoff at. Hell, she was ashamed that she failed to notice the presence of such an obviously strong threat.

The she-wolf ducked her head and growled, the sound making the small clearing they were in to rumble as the downpour seemed to increase and the temperature dropped to the point even Artemis was getting uncomfortable. They stared off for several seconds before the she-wolf suddenly stopped the growl and just lunged without preamble. Artemis wasn't the mistress of the Hunt for nothing though as she rolled out of the wolf's way and got back into position.

The moment the wolf landed Artemis attacked, swinging her knives in a deadly arc but the she-wolf showed incredible agility for being so large, pivoting on her back paws and jumping just an inch too far off the knife edges. The she-wolf didn't stop there as she lunged with an open maw to which Artemis swung her right knife at. To her shock the she-wolf reacted in time and bit down _on_ the knife, stopping it dead as the pair locked eyes.

If it hadn't been for the clearly life-or-death struggle going on Artemis would have stopped to contemplate the absolute contempt within the she-wolf's eyes. It was as if she'd done some unspeakable horror to the wolf, like murder her pups or something. She couldn't have time to think on it though as the she-wolf bit down harder and much to Artemis' shock, started to form cracks on her daggers. Those were Atlantian silver gifted to her by her uncle and nothing short of two gods clashing at full force should have been able to so much as chip them.

Thinking quickly she struck with her other knife but the she-wolf let go before the knife could run through her head but not fast enough to avoid Artemis lashing out with a kick, nailing the she-wolf in the chest. The blow sent the she-wolf careening through a few trees as Artemis pursued it, intent on finishing it as quickly as possible. She caught sight of the she-wolf quick enough and lunged with her undamaged knife, intent on stabbing the recovering wolf.

Her perception allowed her to see as the knife edge sliced through the falling rain as the she-wolf looked up with widening eyes, as if realizing the opening and preparing to evade. But it was too late and a grin broke Artemis' face as she watched with glee as the knife got closer. A foot … eight inches … four inches … 1 in— **Clang!**

Artemis could only blink dumbly, barely registering an obsidian black knife just barely blocking her own knife before a boot covered leg slammed into her gut. She gasped with the explosion of pain as she was sent skidding back and looked to who interrupted her attack only to stare in surprise.

Feral green eyes within a coppery toned face, glossy black hair instead of the pit of vipers it was cursed to be, dressed in a tight, sleeveless back dress barely reaching mid-thigh. Thigh-high, heeled leather boots and elbow length gloves with equally obsidian bracers on her forearms, and lastly, two pitch black, barbed blades connected to a smooth chain.

"Medusa …?" she asked in shocked surprise.

The monster in human form didn't give her a response, instead glancing back to the recovered she-wolf.

"You still lack enough experience Lupa," she said, shocking Artemis yet again as she looked at the she-wolf in a new light. "You forget that Artemis belongs to a significantly higher tier of opponents than what you've faced alone in either of your forms."

The revealed Lupa lowered her ears before she was consumed in shadows only to step out as a human in a similar dress and armor to Medusa without the knives. Artemis noted how similar the pair looked now and even their signatures, both of which were heavily divine now that she had a moment to really study them. ' _But that means … Lupa's a traitor,'_ Artemis thought with rising fury.

How dare she!? After everything Artemis did for her, saving her from the council millennia ago and not revealing her human form lest she be taken and passed around the mountain like a cheap whore. And for what, this betrayal!? No! She would not let this insult stand. If the bitch wanted to run off to some damn demon or whatever the Hades Umbra is, fine, Artemis will send her in a match box!

With that in mind, Artemis started to gather her essence into her core. She felt her body toughen, her injuries healing faster, her strength and speed increasing as her body started to glow. That got both Medusa and Lupa's attention and Artemis couldn't help but smirk at them, getting ready to show them why you don't piss off a goddess of her caliber. She kept gathering her essence and was already past the half point until suddenly she felt a barrier she hadn't noticed before increase in strength.

As soon as the barrier became apparent she was cut off from increasing her power anymore and regardless of how hard she tried she couldn't call in more power. She even lost contact with her roman form, Diana, which was waiting for her in New Rome. She tried flashing and to her horror, that was cut off as well. By the matching grins Lupa and Medusa were sporting, they knew it as well.

"Looks like master has decided to spring the trap," Medusa purred as she took a step forward. "Go and meet with our lord Lupa, I'll handle the goddess."

Lupa looked like she wanted to protest but they tilted her head as if to hear something better. She pouted suddenly and then, much to Artemis' confusion, dissolved into shadows leaving her alone with Medusa.

"So … ready to play?" Medusa asked as she lazily twirled one of her blades by the chain.

"Do you really think you can face me, monster?" Artemis asked as she readied her knives. She may have been cut off from her full power but she'd still managed to get over half.

"I don't think," Medusa quipped before suddenly lunging forward in a burst of shadow only to materialize in front of Artemis. "I know…"

Quicker than Artemis expected, Medusa slammed a fist into Artemis' gut doubling her over and making her spit up ichor but Medusa wasn't anywhere finished with that. The very force of the blow blew the rain away around them before Medusa kept pushing up and unceremoniously launched Artemis skyward. She only got to glance up at the dark and stormy clouds before she felt a bitingly cold chain wrap around her waist. She couldn't even see before she was violently tugged down only to meet the unforgivingly hard ground.

 **Boom!**

A the size of a small pool formed around Artemis along with setting off a miniature earthquake, her entire body screaming in protest of the pain as her vision went in and out of focus. She could hear her own blood pumping, water pooling around her as she fought through the pain to take stock of her injuries. A flash of pain in her lower back was not a good sign at all.

"Hello?" Medusa called mockingly as she leaned over the edge and looked at Artemis with unrestrained glee. "Don't tell me that was all you had Arty. For shame. Keep this up and there won't be a Hunt left to go back to."

What did she—?

Artemis gasped as she felt it. One of her hunters just died. She focused on her link to them for a moment and that was all she needed to feel their panic and fear. There were some in pain too, their desperate prayers for help coming to her before some were violently silence. Artemis felt tears stinging at her eyes before her fury returned as she looked at the grinning Medusa. How dare that bitch taunt her as her hunters were killed!? Her anger knew no bounds as she grit her teeth and started to get up, ignoring her body's protests.

"I'm going to skin you alive," Artemis growled as she forced herself to her feet even as a faint crack sounded from her back.

Her hair was matted with ichor, her clothes in tatters, and one of her knives looked like it was close to breaking … but she didn't care in the slightest. All that mattered was making Medusa suffer so with that in mind, Artemis pumped the power of her gathered essence she'd managed to collect from her core into her muscles and senses. Her body partially healed and strengthened even further with her conscious effort to turn it into offensive capabilities. Her eyes were visibly glowing as she looked at the now stoic Medusa, said monster tightening her grip on her knives.

Artemis kept their gazes locked for another few seconds before her legs twitched. As if dual bullets finally fired, they launched at each other with knives ready. They met in a mighty clash, sparks flying as Artemis glared into the eyes of Medusa. They didn't speak as they separated only for a second before meeting again. Artemis swiped her knives, every strike lethal in nature but Medusa expertly kept tab with each, using not only the knives but the chains to block and deflect every attack.

It was a dance of death with sparks being the only marker of their blades clashing as they moved throughout the clearing. One moment Artemis was ducking as Medusa lashed out with a roundhouse kick, smashing through the tree that had been behind the goddess. The next Artemis recovered brought her knives together into an X fashion to cut Medusa's exposed back but in the nick of time the monster brought a chain up taut, stopping her knives flat. Artemis didn't pause though, even as she felt another hunter die making her angrier.

She rolled to the side avoiding an overhead kick that caused another small explosion of pressure pushing away the rain from the combating duo. ' _This is ridiculous!'_ Artemis thought as her hands shook from holding the knives for so long with the impact. Medusa's strength was about on par with that of Hercules before he became a god, and even then his strength was monstrous. The fact that Medusa was keeping up with her, the strongest goddess of Olympus by a slight margin over Athena, was blood curdling. If Umbra had even a dozen fighters capable of this level of combat, without including himself, then this war was going to be nothing short of a bloodbath.

"Food for thought goddess?" Medusa quipped as she jumped over Artemis and spun around for a kick which Artemis blocked with the back of her wrist. A decision that she was coming to regret quickly judging by the throbbing pain following it.

"Just shut up," she spat venomously as she reversed the grip on her knives and lunged forward, missing Medusa's hip by the skin of her teeth.

"Oh come now, no playful banter?" Medusa asked as she back-flipped out of Artemis' range. "Jeez, so uptight. Tell me, was the eternal maiden thing by choice or was it because no guy could stand you long enough to bother getting into your panties?"

"Shut up!" she bellowed as she threw a wild hook from her right, crushing the boulder that had been behind Medusa.

"Only lover you found was a girl literally stuck with you via oath … can that count as a marriage making you a widow?" Medusa asked with a giggle even as she threw her left knife too quick for Artemis to properly track. It sliced past her shoulder with a chilling sting. "You're so lucky my freezing curse is minor compared to my lord's. How is Deimos by the way?"

Artemis ignored her as she jumped back for some distance before she pressed a hand over the stinging cut, blasting it with a wave of raw divine energy and basically cauterizing the cut while nullifying the curse.

"How did you know about him?" Artemis asked through grit teeth as she returned to a combat pose.

"Oh we have our ways," was the cryptic reply. "Just as we knew that you and your baby brother are planning on running a taxi service for the little whelps."

' _They know, how? Is there another traitor?'_ Artemis wondered before she rushed forward with a flurry of slashes. Medusa parried most but a few got through, cutting Medusa's cheek and the lower end of her ribs to the left side making the monster click her teeth in irritation. Artemis kept the pressure though and jumped, her knee flying forward, forcing Medusa to block it but she was too late and Artemis' knee struck her cheek, the force sending her skidding back.

Artemis landed back with a slight smirk, pleased at finally getting some damage on the monster woman. Medusa was surprisingly strong but in the end, there were gaps in power between the monstrous and divine that Medusa couldn't hope to match. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the other Olympians noticed Artemis disappearing if they hadn't already and breaking down the barrier. Then Artemis would unleash her full fury on Medusa and make sure the bitch wouldn't reform for a century at least.

With that in mind she focused on the oddly silent monster before her eyes widened at the sight. Where she expected the usual dark, nearly black blood of wounded monsters, Medusa's was golden just like _hers._ Artemis gapped, unable to understand how was it that Medusa had ichor running through her veins.

Too caught up in her surprise she barely noticed that Medusa suddenly closed the distance to her.

"You really shouldn't get distracted little goddess," Medusa said, her voice devoid of the prior mirth.

Before Artemis could react Medusa spun on her heal and delivered a devastating kick to Artemis' gut, an audible snap and pressure wave erupting off the contact before she was launched several meters through trees and rocks alike before finally crashing into the muddy ground. Artemis gasped for air as she turned over and got onto wobbly feet, her head spinning as she started to lean more to her left side. She was about to turn when she screamed as one of Medusa' knives pierced her shin from behind, dropping the goddess to her knees.

She heard Medusa's steps over the rain and tried to muster the strength to stand but after pushing herself to the limits imposed by the barrier, she was nearly spent. She couldn't stop another scream as the knife was violently ripped out before a hand grabbed her hair and yanked her face up.

"My lord," she heard Medusa purr as Artemis forced her eyes open to a surprising sight.

Merely a few feet in front of her was Lupa, still in her human form, but what was more surprising was the tall man besides her looking down at Artemis coldly. He wore a hooded coat reaching to the back of his thighs that seemed to writhe with darkness, only his lower jaw and strange, flaming black eyes with icy pupils were visible to her. Looking into those eyes so full of utter hatred directed at her made her shiver, feeling so weak and vulnerable beneath his gaze.

"Umbra …" she tried to growl but it came out almost as a whimper, unsure of just how she knew but those eyes immediately connected to that name.

He didn't speak, as if she was unworthy of even being acknowledged by him beyond simply being looked at. How it stung her already wounded pride but her body was exhausted at this point, her energy taking a dip with every hunter she felt die. He gave her a once over before shaking his head and turning away, showing Artemis another shocking feature. Feathered wings, so dark that they seemed to drain the last dregs of light left underneath the raging storm, and radiating a cold that even at a slight distance she could feel it numbing her face.

Umbra spread them, squatting his knees slightly before blasting off into the darkened skies and with a mighty beat, burst into darkness without a trace. Artemis kept her eyes on the spot Umbra disappeared before she looked to Lupa as she shuffled closer.

"I don't know whether you are lucky or not that the master didn't want to kill you yet," she said with a sigh before glaring down at Artemis. "But your time will come little hunter," she spat with disgust while raising her fist. "This is for every roman demigod killed before his time thanks to your misguided judgement and that band of barbarians you tug around. Pups that I reared and trained to make New Rome proud. Say high to your family for me."

Then her fist struck Artemis right across the temple, jarring her skull as Medusa released her hair. She fell limp, unable to get back up. She was tired, cold, hurt … and scared. Nearly out of sight she watched as Medusa and Lupa walked away, dissolving into shadow just like their master had. Idly she felt the barrier disappear and only moments later felt the arrival of several Olympians, her father and brother yelling for her. She felt them getting closer, heard their footsteps splashing in the rain and mud, before unconsciousness took her…

* * *

 **Point of View?**

From his throne he sat, watching as servants and advisors alike moved about before him. They muttered lowly, none daring to raise their eyes to him … as was their place. Diminutive and weak, but useful in their own ways. Yet, it was the fact that he needed them to act as proxies for the time being that enraged him. Titans, his _siblings_ in a sense, being born after The Cataclysm to his mother, Gaea. At least these ones had some modicum of power and intelligence unlike his other siblings, the Elder Cyclops and Hundred-Handed Ones. To think that their mightiest had been the incomplete fool known as Typhon. Why his mother ever even tolerated the reject's existence he would never know.

At least that was one thing that new council, those _usurpers_ , had done right in ridding the world of that stain. Regardless he would see them cut down soon enough. Their mercy and unwillingness to fight at full power in order to spare the mortal world would be their undoing. For now though, it would simply do to gain some more fodder and maybe a few key individuals. With that in mind he turned his gaze to the far side of his massive throne room, spotting a particular man studying over a world map.

"Koios," he called, his voice booming with authority making the man straighten up and turn to him.

He was tall in his natural form, towering at twenty feet without even assuming his divine form. Coppery skin, startlingly bright green eyes, a trimmed, black beard to match his short cut hair along his sculpted jawline. Broad chested and well-muscled, dressed simply in a white tunic, slacks, and drakon leather boots. Koios, Titanic god of Heavenly Bodies and Intellect, one of his newest and best strategists.

"You called … my lord," Koios replied, looking troubled in having to address him as such.

' _No matter, he'll learn proper loyalty soon enough,'_ the lord thought as he waved the titan over.

"Tell me, how favorable would the previously discussed alliance work?" he asked as he leaned down slightly to loom over the smaller god.

"With the recent attack on the Olympians, it would seem that Poseidon would be more open to negotiation," Koios replied dutifully. "His armies are still gathering though there is rumor of discontent amongst his court and the presence of Oceanus on the edges of his territory is causing a stir with some of the merfolk. Waiting would have two possible outcomes. Either he allies to us and calms his people while focusing on the new council or he goes against which could lead to a civil war if Oceanus pushes further, using the already tense court of sea nobles against Poseidon but that would result in loss of potential forces and resources for us."

"Hmm … what a choice," he murmured as he scratched his long beard, his swirling blue eyes moving to look through the crystal ceiling of his throne room.

Above he could see all manner of sea life swimming across the frigid waters of the north, the occasional whale or monster passing overhead.

"Send an emissary under a white banner and tell Oceanus to come here. We will try to parley but if negotiations fail then we can get a little more … aggressive," he continued before glancing down at Koios.

The titan gave a curt bow and turned to leave, milling through the throngs of servants as they raced about to give maps, messages, and even food to his gathered military heads. He watched this all, his thoughts already planning on how to move Poseidon to his side…

* * *

 **Author's Rant: How was that? Did that get your blood pumping? Hope you all enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed typing it up! A pleasure, Jbubu**

 **Question: Anyone think there are other gods on the Olympian council that deserve to be spared? All will be punished but I've been debated and settle on sparing one goddess.**

 **Guaranteed Death: Artemis, Poseidon, Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus**

 **Possible Death/Severe Punishment: Aphrodite, Hera, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hermes**

 **Spared/Severe Punishment: Athena**

 **Let me hear your thoughts, thanks!**


	28. Betrayals and Pleas

**Author's Note: Another update, another chapter for you all! Damn, last week resulted in over 80+ reviews and 50+ messages. I should start offering input more often if it gets reader participation like that! Anyways, before the chapter, some words and at the end, another question.**

 **Reminder: In this AU, in this world, the Greco-Roman are the ONLY pantheon! No Norse, Egyptian, Biblical, Hindu, Shinto, or any other lesser known religions (that includes popular culture ones like Cthulhu and the like (I'm a peasant in the knowledge of this matter, forgive me if I'm incorrect in reference to Cthulhu) . I've read one story with that, pretty good actually).**

 **Why this is will be explained later on (long way off but I got an original idea for it that will possibly cause the shitting of bricks). That's all for now, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own plot.**

* * *

 **Leo**

Leo watched as the crowd whispered and stole glances to the gathered thrones, some in disbelief, the ballsy ones in pity though they were quick to hide it lest they be seen and possibly smite for it. He could understand though, he really could considering he would have been in their shoes nearly a decade ago.

It had been just over three days since the Moonlight Massacre as it was come to be known. Artemis had been unresponsive for over a day and off all her hunters only five remained though miraculously none of the campers who'd gone in her trip had died. When the goddess returned to the land of the living she'd been rapidly switching between enraged and heartbroken, having lost all hunters that had been part of her group for millennia and leaving only recent additions.

The deaths and the fact that Artemis was defeated so easily and up until now the goddess had refused to offer more on what happened. With Artemis out of it for the last few days, other gods had to pull the slack and work overtime to flash the remaining demigods of Camp Half-Blood to Camp Jupiter and the Amazons had arrived just last night. With the overflowing city, tempers and anxiety were rising high but Zeus had put his foot down for order, along with the help of Athena and Hephaestus.

Now they had called another war council, this time filled with senior members of every branch and grouping. At the center of the council chamber sat the thrones of the gods, the tops of both Greek and Roman pantheon for the few that were exclusive to one or the other. Leo sat next to his wife, Calypso, within the audience seating rather in the lower tables. He might be a veteran of the second Giant War and now god, but he was never suited for being in the commanding positions as was far more content to give input if asked, otherwise he would focus on arming them up as best he could.

Leo was broken out of his thoughts when Zeus slammed an electrified fist onto his armrest, discharging a wave of static and ruining more than one hairdo. So not cool! With the silence restored and all eyes on him Zeus began the second war council.

"Now then," he began after scanning around. "It would seem that this Umbra has gone and revealed more of himself, along with the possible location of his base and we can assure of some gods that have betrayed."

The crowd and representatives started to murmur at that, eyeing the king nervously as he waved to Artemis.

"Artemis can confirm it, Lupa has in fact turned traitor."

That caused an uproar with the Roman demigods and those who saw her in a favorable light. It lasted for nearly a minute before Artemis shot to her feet and roared, "Enough!"

Silence reigned again as all eyes turned to the near rabid goddess. Without a word she waved her hand causing an orb to appear high overhead and only a few seconds later an image appeared of a large black wolf with yellow-silver eyes. Like a mini clip it played forward and they watched in stunned silence as Artemis was about to stab the wolf before being interrupted by a raven beauty. Leo would have—pun intended—wolf-whistled if the situation wasn't so grave. His jaw dropped at the revelation of Medusa (where the Hades did her snake hair go?) and then Lupa of all things turned into a chick … a very fine chick if he said so himself.

The image suddenly cut off and then changed to Artemis' view, making Leo wonder if the goddess didn't want them seeing how she got her ass handed to her. Leo didn't see the point considering how trashed she was when they recovered her alone with the survivors of the trip. After all, Leo had seen enough of the goddess throughout the decade to know she would have gloated if she managed to take down even one of her attackers and considering it was a goddess, a monster (god too?), and a demon responsible for several disappearances and deaths, Artemis was laughably outgunned.

When the playing image focused on Umbra, revealing a somewhat human form for the first time, several murmurs broke out. It got even louder when they saw him turn to reveal his wings and one particularly loud gasp drawing his attention. His eyes focused on the centurion for the 2nd Cohort, a daughter of Venus if he recalled properly. Normally he would ogle such beauties (but on the sly, otherwise Calypso kicked him to the dreaded couch), but what caught his interest was the fact that she was holding a small cross in her knuckle as if a life-line.

A Christian demigod? Now he's seen everything. What's more he could read her shaky lips as she mumbled to herself about 'fallen angel' and 'Lucifer'. He could see how she would jump to that, considering the resemblance was uncanny. Overly powerful dude calling himself a demon, pitch black wings and power to freeze, especially considering that Lucifer was said to be in the last level of Hell, the frozen pit of betrayers.

Now Leo was pretty sure the big G didn't exist, otherwise a good 90% of the Greek pantheon and monsters alike would have been tossed into said pit long ago. Regardless, the comparison was unnerving to say the least. What was next, a white angel with a big ass sword swopping down and starting to hack gods to pieces?

He shuddered with a sudden chill running down his spine making him look around. He knocked on the wood of his seat … just in case.

Thankfully Leo was broken out of his thoughts before it could get too messed up as the orb disappeared and attention returned to the council. They looked just as surprised as the attending demigods, possibly from Artemis remaining silent and apart from everyone until today. It was not looking good though and Leo had a feeling today's council wasn't bringing good news either.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can begin with some plans of defense," Athena spoke up as she stood and with a wave of her hand another orb appeared detailing the continental US and Canada. There was a bright beacon located in Ontario that Athena pointed too. "It seemed that Umbra and his forces have made an appearance and we can distinctly feel a large amount of divine energy coming from somewhere in northern Ontario. Sadly, it is just beyond the metaphysical border of the Land of the Gods."

"So we do nothing!?" Clarisse shouted as she stood, already dressed in war regalia even if not currently armed.

"I was saying," Athena cut in with a glare that shut the veteran up. "It's close. Not enough that we can safely flash there and retain our power but enough that we can provide support and long rang attacks while a demigod army could safely attack. Therefore, we will start with smaller scouting parties heading north to get a lay for the land."

Athena paused as she waved her hand making the map zoom in closer to see a better picture of the terrain.

"Considering the heavily woodland and occasional mountainous areas, the primary scouting will be done by satyr and hunter teams," Athena said before stopping as Reyna raised her hand to get the goddess' attention. With Athena's nod Reyna stood while directing a nervous look at Artemis.

"But Lady Athena, how will there be hunters if they had such heavy casualties?" she asked and Leo nodded along.

The five surviving hunters were catatonic after being rescued and would flinch at the shadows. It was a wonder if any of them could return to the battlefield at all. Seeing one of the most elite groups of Olympus so broken had really done a number to the morale of the camp as a whole.

"We are aware," Athena replied while shooting a calculating look at Artemis as said goddess glared down at her own lap. "However to compensate, she along with all other Olympians will be recruiting demigods and forming elite groups similar to the Hunt."

"Such as?" Chiron asked, speaking up as he passed worried looks over the demigods. They were his charges after all, especially with the loss of Lupa.

"Without Ares, Bellona and I have decided to take up the mantel for primarily warrior styled demigods and so will recruit the heavier infantry from the camp," Athena answered while looking over the demigods. "Artemis' Hunt and another group formed by Hermes will be mainly scouts and used for guerilla tactics. Apollo will form the archery team and medics, and so on and so forth."

"And joining a group is _not_ optional," Zeus added as thunder cracked overhead sending a shiver through the demigod ranks present.

"Unless of course, you intend to run and turn traitor," Artemis added as she diligently scanned the chambers.

Leo nervously swallowed at the look in Artemis' eyes. They were so full of distrust and anger. He knew he was right, the news of these new 'squads' was not going to go over very well. Sure, plenty were itching for war but basically drafting them into those groups and what was sure to be full of oaths calling loyalties into question would not endear them to the gods. Not to mention the mass movement into unfamiliar terrains.

Whelp, at least he now had an Argo III, IV, and V to load up rather than leave to collect dust. How lucky was it that none were in any of his father's storages, otherwise they would have been blown to kingdom come with the freaky lightning strikes? Nothing says 'hello' and 'fuck you' like ballista bolts and Greek fire bombs raining from the heavens…

* * *

 **Amphitrite, Same Time**

She nervously sat in her coral and shell throne within the court as she, along with her husband, waited for the envoy said to be coming to offer them support in this new war. Amphitrite kept an impassive face as she glanced to the side, watching Poseidon as his scowl grew the longer they waited for said envoy … and just who it was. Even Poseidon had not been able to quell the court once it was learned that her father, Oceanus of all divinity, was coming to Atlantis again. However, the fact that he came under the white banner set off all kinds of alarms in her head.

She knew her father, or at least had millennia ago. Not as boisterous as Kronos and generally far more mild mannered while being a cool-headed warrior in battle but to come as an envoy for someone else? That was not something her father had ever done, even during the rule of Kronos. Oceanus was still a proud being and to willingly concede authority to another was worrying. Just who could make the master of the oceans to bend his knees?

Her thoughts remained in turmoil as she distantly noticed the arrivals. Some telchines stood as honor guard, their ugly mugs looking around in barely concealed distaste in Poseidon's direction. Amphitrite glanced around the seated court of sea nobles and Oceanids looking intently between Poseidon and the approaching titan standing at nearly 20 feet.

Just like she remembered him, her father walked in a chiton suited to the tastes of Atlantis, made of sea-silk in shades of light blue and gold collars, his own skin having a barely noticeable blue hue unlike the green of her mothers, Tethys. His black beard reached just to his collarbone, his deep blue and bronze mixed eyes looking intently at Poseidon as he stepped forward. His eyes passed over Amphitrite for but a moment but in that moment she saw no true warmth directed towards her.

She knew their relationship had always been rocky with most of the love she'd felt being explicitly maternal but then with the recent Titan war and their second defeat, one in which Amphitrite stayed decisively with the Olympians had just about ended any remotely friendly relations that may have remained. It made her heart ache knowing she was becoming more isolated by the day with rising agitation throughout the kingdom.

' _But there might be one,'_ she thought as she discreetly glanced at the 'pearl' handing from her necklace as Oceanus took a seat across from Poseidon. She looked to the side and saw that her son was also standing on guard in a median space, close enough to intercept a possible attack from Oceanus' escorts and also defend her. Returning her attention to her father and husband, both having exchanged useless pleasantries and now getting to the real goal of the visit.

"So Poseidon," Oceanus started, expertly hiding his distaste of the god across from him. "It seems that you and the other Olympians are facing a new adversary that you aren't ready for."

"And what do you know of them?" Poseidon asked with narrowed eyes. "Or are you just hear to stir up trouble while my attentions are elsewhere?"

"Hmm, I could make use of it but no, this is strictly in regards to your problem which will unfortunately become ours soon enough," Oceanus retorted.

"And who exactly is your … group?" Poseidon asked with a raised eyebrow. "In fact, what is it that you want out of all this with me and my kingdom?"

"Someone who is far stronger than either you or I and without his help, you will never defeat this 'Umbra' and his own group. As for what we want, well, for now it is merely a friendly ceasefire and possible co-operation in regards to combating this group. We can bolster your forces exponentially and help hide your movements from the demon."

" _His?_ You keep mentioning a he and saying he has knowledge on this group but you have yet to give me anything substantial," Poseidon returned as he gripped his trident menacingly. "Give me a name or otherwise I know you're giving empty promises."

Oceanus smirked, his eyes drawing up the god across from him while Amphitrite felt the unease within her grow. She already had an idea of who Umbra's group consisted of considering she met Jason, even if she wasn't sure what they were exactly. All she knew was they were far beyond any demigod and judging by the reports on Artemis' defeat, they had several powerful warriors to their banner. Sadly, even she was completely unprepared for the name Oceanus dropped as his bait.

"Pontus."

She along with many in the court gasped, a feeling of overwhelming pressure stifling their breathing for all of three seconds before it disappeared as all fell silent. Oceanus didn't seem bothered at all and openly smirked at Poseidon's suddenly pale complexion as low murmurs started to carry around the court. Amphitrite felt her nervousness increase with every minute that passed and even started to feel cornered when her father glanced at her before looking back to Poseidon.

"The very oceans themselves are willing to provide aid and give you knowledge the likes of which you could hardly imagine," Oceanus continued while raising a closed fist. "The power to finally take over as the kings of this world. All three of us have been forced to bend knee in the presence of our siblings, cowed into subservience while the world was run amok. Now these 'demons' are attacking and the weak Olympians are acting like headless chickens."

Oceanus paused as he stood and approached Poseidon while Triton and several of the guards tightened their grips on their weapons but made no move to attack while Poseidon remained stoic. Oceanus stopped a mere few meters away, looking Poseidon in the eyes.

"You know you were always the strongest of your brothers, second only to your sister but she was too docile to take the reigns. The world is changing, your father is long gone and so is mother and yet you stand silent as your brother, in his ever-reaching incompetence, concerns himself more with where to stick his cock rather than ruling," Oceanus pressed as he leaned forward. "He betrayed you after the first Titan war while I remained neutral, knowing my own brother was in the wrong and yet I was forced to flee or be imprisoned for simply being what I am. You came to my domain and created your home away from him but again his follies drag you into them," he continued before cutting his hand across the water in front of him. "Well no more! Take action Poseidon, join us in reclaiming our world back from pompous gods and man alike."

Throughout his speech Poseidon remained silent, his eyes downcast as Amphitrite inched back farther into her throne. She kept glancing between Poseidon and Oceanus, not liking the turn of the conversation at all. Gaea had already wanted to destroy civilization and let her children conquer which meant putting all of them into damnation as slaves, dead, or worse.

"And what's more," Oceanus almost whispered as he looked to Amphitrite as he continued, "We can help you route out all traitors…"

Amphitrite felt her heart seize up as Poseidon looked to her in something akin to shock and anger but she wasn't sticking around to find out what he was going to do. She started to mentally picture one of Hestia's old homes in the mortal world but then felt a barrier erect itself around the whole of the castle. Several shouted in shock of the feeling until Oceanus raised his hand in silence.

"Not to worry, that's just to keep traitors contained," he said as Amphitrite threw herself off her throne, willing an Atlantian silver blade to appear in her hand.

She turned around and raised her blade just in time to block a thrust from Poseidon's trident but wasn't able to stop the pommel of her father's sword from nailing her in the gut. She had the ether blown out of her as her body tumbled back through a side of the court, bowling over some sea nobles. They scrambled around as she rolled to her hands and knees, spitting up some ichor before her free hand went to her neck in effort to grab Jason's pearl however her hand found nothing.

She gasped as she looked passed her husband's approach, seeing the necklace at the feet of her throne right next to her son. She met Triton's gaze and her heart nearly broke to see him looking at her in disbelief even as Oceanus spoke while approaching with Poseidon.

"She thought she was clever but the oceans can see far. She just so happened to be consorting with one of the 'demons' rather … enthusiastically," he said as Poseidon's grip on his trident tightened.

She grit her teeth as she stood up, her sword at the ready.

"Why?" Poseidon asked as he aimed his trident.

"I could spend years telling you and I already have but it won't matter," she said as she glanced around looking for escape routes but to her dismay, both Oceanus' guard and Poseidon's were at all of them. "I resigned myself to being your arm decoration after being kidnapped, I surrendered the love of my parents after siding with you in the second war, and now you've become something even I don't recognize."

With that she charged forward, her sword swinging down but Poseidon blocked it with easy, barely even grunting at the pressure that could have crushed a cyclops into paste. He shoved back forcing her to backpedal before he repeatedly thrusted as she tried to deflect every attack. Sparks sizzled in the water as she lost ground. She felt her arms starting to sting as her muscles protested from disuse.

She ducked under a swipe but just as she was about to bring up her sword Poseidon lashed out with a kick striking her in the ribs with an audible snap as she cried out. The blow tossed her into a pillar, smashing the stone structure and having several pieces fall on top of her. Her back started to hurt with the weight but she ignored it as she forced herself to her feet and was about to try for another attack before she screamed as Poseidon's trident impaled her shoulder to the back wall.

Tears streaked down her cheeks as she desperately tried to tug the trident out but it remained solid as Poseidon approached. He stopped right before her, his face giving nothing away as he reared his fist back. She glanced past him and locked eyes with Triton for a moment. ' _I'm so sorry you had to see this,'_ she thought, seeing the visible struggle in him as he watched his mother and father come to blows.

' _I wish I could see you again … Jason,'_ she thought as Poseidon's fist came down and emptiness became her world…

* * *

 **Persephone, Later That Evening**

The queen of the underworld sighed softly to herself as she looked at her reflection in the vanity, her eyes seeming strange even to herself. Where they were once radiant with hints of bright green within warm pools of brown like the renewed earth of spring, now they seemed faint and grey from lack of sleep and worry. Her hair was cast into a low pony-tail and tossed over her left shoulder as she combed the end, trying to steel herself for what she was about to do.

Once her hair was combed to her satisfaction she waved her newly free hand to apply a modest touch of make-up and even focused some of her divine energy into her eyes to make them seem radiant again. Once completing her make-up she stood and tossed of her bathrobe before putting on a simple, black gown that reached just to her ankles with a slight running up her right leg to the thigh. With a pair of simple, black heels she left her bathroom, stepping into the master bedroom of her palace.

She looked to her bed and saw her husband well and truly asleep. A hefty night of eating and drinking a fine wine from Rhea's new vineyards after a rather taxing day restructuring the Underworld with Nico's assistance had assured her that her husband wouldn't join the world of the living any time soon. Stepping up to the side of her bed she leaned down and softly kissed Hades on the forehead, the god mumbling something before turning over in the bed and snoring away.

She smiled wistfully before grimacing as she remembered what she needed to do tonight. It weighed heavily in her heart, knowing that the repercussions could be severe for her and several others, but she needed to try. If things went as expected, it might be possible she would never join her husband's bed again … even though she did love him and wanted to stay with him. She prayed to Chaos it didn't go as far as to her worst fears but if necessary…

She steeled herself as she swiftly left their chambers and moved on towards the throne room, ignoring the few ghouls and servants traversing the late hours of the castle. She morbidly thought of how the pained wails in the distance had become rather soothing to her after so long, especially when she was nervous. Still, with a slight shake of her head she arrived to the throne room before mentally picturing the Temple of the Primordials. One intense flash of golden light and she was gone only to reappear seconds later just before said temple.

She looked up at the rather simple yet imposing sight of the temple, the main doors reaching five stories and wide enough for four cars to pass comfortably at the same time. Small torches of warm orange and yellow light up the white halls and she walked inside, idly noting how quiet it was unlike the bustling center of activity it usually was during the day. Her heels clacked throughout the halls as she moved further into the structure before turning down a large hall containing several doors, the offices of Primordials.

She'd always been interested in going into one, finding the idea of mental plane brought to a physical manifestation rather fascinating, but had never really had the chance even when she swore her domains to Rhea. Well, at least now she might get her chance. With a quick step she arrived to the door she wanted, the wood being ebony as to match the primordial using the space. Two blades, a katana and a Viking sword, crossed with a black flame being the symbol that let her know she was correct. Mentally focusing on the task at hand and what was at stake, she raised her hand and knocked.

It took a few seconds of mind numbing silence before the door slowly and soundlessly opened, an expanse of pitch darkness beyond. Gulping nervously she took her first steps into his inner world tentatively, unable to so much as see more than an inch or so in front of her. Once she was passed the threshold the door audibly snapped behind her making her jump with a start. She turned to see but everything was pitch black as her heart started to race, her body shuddering as a cool breeze swept over her.

Then suddenly like a switch being flipped she could see and all she could do was gasp. Where once an all-consuming darkness was now a majestic forest of ice. Trees of ebony or even obsidian carved to look like trees dotted around her with leaves of white and light blue ice. She moved slowly as she observed her surroundings, the softest snow she'd ever felt muffling her steps. She looked up to see little floating orbs of blue fire carried by the breeze and lighting the forest around her.

She walked within this icy wonderland, idly noting some rose bushes with white and black flowers, or at one point a waterfall coming from seemingly nowhere and pouring into a frozen pond. For several minutes she walked, her wonder nearly making her forget why she was even here in the first place until she arrived at a particularly large tree. A Weeping Willow if she recognized it correctly but within the long falling vine-like leaves there were hundreds of little orbs. Upon closer inspection she noticed it had a shadowy, moving image of trees and a running deer. From the point of view, she guessed that it was seeing through the eyes of the chaser.

"Like my viewing tree?" asked a voice right behind her.

Persephone jumped with a squeak as she whirled around to see Percy standing there, arms crossed and smirking wolfishly at her with amusement in his flaming eyes. She huffed while fighting down her embarrassed blush before remembering her manners and giving a little curtsy.

"Hey, none of that," Percy said with a wave as she straightened. "Come on, this isn't a council meeting. So, what can I help you with Persephone?" he asked lightly.

Persephone shied away from his gaze as her nerves stirred up again, wondering if somehow this would be all for nothing. ' _No … I need to try. I can't … I won't stand silent about this,'_ she thought as she looked her king in the eyes.

"I have a request, my lord," she said, slipping back into formal form while Percy raised one eyebrow but made no motion to interrupt. "After some thought over the last few days … I …"

She trailed off as her heart hammered away in her chest, her hands wringing the sides of her gown.

"Can … can you spare my mother…?"

* * *

 **Percy**

Percy looked at Persephone in surprise, note having expected the goddesses request in the slightest. He watched her carefully, seeing the near desperate glint in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Why?" he asked after some time, even if he had a sneaking suspicion of why.

"Because …" Persephone started as she glanced down for a moment before looking at him again. "She's my mother," she said in a trembling voice. "I know that at times she has been a petty goddess and caused such things as famine and strife but was it honestly that bad?"

"That bad?" he echoed with a slightly colder voice, his eyes flashing icily. "The random starvation of entire regions and the suffering, completely disregarding season and local conditions wasn't that bad?" he asked sarcastically.

"Not like that!" Persephone quickly backpedaled as she noted his tone. "The loss of life was bad but … I mean …" Persephone dropped to her knees as she looked at Percy pleadingly. "Please, regardless of what she's done she can't be deserving of what happened to Ares. He was a bastard, through and through. Senseless wars and everything held within it were his passion so turning it all against him has merited but my mother hasn't done anything deserving that."

Percy sighed as he scratched his chin while looking down at Persephone.

"You realize it's more than that right? There are several gods and goddess on this very mountain that were her friends, many of whom she stood aside as they were punished and abused by her siblings while she did nothing."

"But she can hardly be blamed for that!" Persephone retorted. "Even if she had tried to help, it would have merely meant that she would have suffered along with them. Father was never very forgiving and in the ancient times he was even more arrogant and entitled than he is now."

"Hard to believe," he muttered as he looked in her eyes.

"It's true!" she persisted, her fists clenching up. "I know sometimes the silent bystander can be just as guilty as the criminal in question but she simply didn't have a choice. There wasn't any higher authority to report to, no one to enact the punishment. At best all she could do was try to support the victims after the fact."

"Makes me wonder what would have happened if I just 'stood by'," he replied with clear distaste. "Plenty of times where I was in over my head or it was someone else's problem and I still stepped in to help, and I was just a mortal facing monsters and gods."

He paused before giving a frustrated sigh while rubbing his temple. But could he really even compare his circumstances to that of Demeter? It had been a different time and even if a goddess, she had been a woman, not particularly dangerous or aggressive, surrounded by violence prone idiots with the law in their favor. Sadly it was a very 'watch your own back' environment and even Hestia only got spared having to give similar concessions due to having the favor of her two brothers and generally staying out of the way.

He was pretty sure it was thanks to her power and pulling a fast one with her maiden oath that even kept her virtue safe, otherwise Zeus and several others would have made far more attempts than the one recorded in mythology. But Demeter had neither the power nor the closeness with her two other powerful siblings to keep her relatively safe. At the end of the day she simply became a part of them rather than stay as the odd one out. Petty, temperamental, obsessive with her domain, and generally disinterested in the happenings of man, whether they suffered or succeeded.

"Please," Persephone begged as she looked up at him while breaking him out of his thoughts. "If it helps I'll take part of the punishment or offer my own services, just let her live."

"Anything?" he asked with a raised eyebrow making her gulp nervously.

Then, with a trembling hand she started to reach for one of the straps of her gown, her eyes starting to get misty while Percy's widened in alarm. Acting quickly his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could remove the strap, stopping her as the duo locked eyes while he silently cursed his big mouth.

"I … see how far you're willing to go with this," he said, his mouth feeling oddly dry. "Maybe … maybe the council needs to have a discussion of the fate of some of the Olympians." Seeing Persephone's face brightening he raised his free hand to stop her. "Don't jump the gun here. I may be king but I don't rule alone and in the end the council must come to the decision together. Pray that Demeter hasn't personally pissed off any of the members … save trying to stuff Nico full of grains a few years back," he added as an afterthought.

"Thank you!" Persephone cried as she suddenly lunged forward to hug his knees.

He gave a bit of a grunt as he patted her back awkwardly while the goddess continued to thank him for even giving her request any thought. He mentally called for his _Shadows_ as he pride her off his legs and helped her stand. Within moments three shadows materialized to form Lupa, Medusa, and Lamia, all three looking at Persephone questioningly.

"Medusa, please escort Persephone out," he instructed softly as he handed the goddess to one of his guardians.

Medusa nodded while gingerly leading the softly crying goddess away while Lamia and Lupa stood to his sides. Once they were out of sight he sighed as he leaned back, a throne of black ice instantly formed as he sat down. He rubbed his temple, idly noting how both his remaining guardians got comfortable. Lupa sat at his feet before crossing her arms over his knees and resting her head on them while Lamia sat at the right armrest and leaned onto his shoulder.

"So … what was that about?" Lupa asked as her silvery-yellow eyes looked up at him.

He gave a mirthless chuckle before filling them in on the quick exchange, their faces looking thoughtful once he finished.

"Hmm … I could see the council sparing her and a few others," Lamia commented. "But you wouldn't let them off scot free would you?"

"No," he replied as one of his hands found Lupa's head and started to scratch behind her materialized wolf ears getting a content sigh from her. "But then again, the type of punishments would have to depend on the god/goddess' willingness to accept their fault and try to make something of it."

"So no killing them on the battlefields but capture and trials instead?" Lupa asked.

"Save three," Lamia added with a smirk to which Percy nodded.

"I wonder what the council will think on this?" he mused as he thought about several gods and their actions during the last decade since his disappearance.

Many of the Olympians had become rather distant and cold with their children though the only gods that had relatively high interaction was Artemis with her Hunt, Hermes on some deliveries, and Dionysus but he was just a miserable bastard at one of the camps.

"But even if you want to spare some, that doesn't mean they all deserve a trial or anything of the sort," Lamia suddenly added in as she looked at Percy. "This is a war and the goal is the removal of the Olympians and other ancient threats that used this chance to escape their punishments. People die in war just because of the side they picked, nothing more and if you want, no one says you can't take out a personal vendetta during war either."

"You're just saying that because you want to rip Hera apart rather than let her have any chance of escaping you," Lupa retorted with a smirk.

"That bitch has more than just me to answer to," Lamia replied with a scowl. "I don't care if seeing her _perfect_ son have his brains blown out already punished her enough. She cursed me to eat my own children and keep doing it for millennia. I intend to make her suffer for every child she damned since my creation."

Feeling Lamia's energy rising with her agitation just thinking about the goddess got Percy to act, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer before giving her a strong kiss. She squeaked in surprise but quickly returned it, her earlier anger and tension melting away as she relaxing in his embrace. After a few seconds he broke the kiss and looked at her silly smile before glancing to Lupa and seeing her pouting at him with her wolf ears lying flat on her head.

"Come here," he teased to which she eagerly reacted, jumping up and sitting on his lap, straddling him as she kissed him while his free arm wrapped around her waist.

The kiss was hungrier than the one he had with Lamia but then again watching him give his affection to Lamia had probably worked Lupa up more. After a good minute he pulled back but Lupa remained comfortably seated on him with Lamia to his side.

"Oh, I can't wait until you consummate with Andy and then we can have our turns," Lamia purred as she eyed him like a piece of meat.

"Don't forget about Rhea and Hestia," Lupa added excitedly.

"Yes well, I'm still getting to that and Andy hasn't fully gotten her punishment so part of it is continued abstinence for her," he answered to them with amusement. "But the war is our concern right now so until then …"

Both his dark goddesses groaned at that while he shamelessly grinned. Still, his thoughts drifted back to Persephone and he couldn't help but wonder if there were others that felt like her. He understood that what happened to Ares was brutal, even if he had no prior knowledge of what exactly was going to happen to him, and he didn't really take any enjoyment out of it. The rush of battle? Sure, he could enjoy that and putting to test all he'd trained for. Beating down a pompous bastard and leaving them with broken bones, some taunts, and a crushed ego? He was your man.

Cause suffering for the sake of suffering. Not really. Well … more like not usually save for two special cases but then again he knew his hatred of the moon goddess and the traitor he once called father was something of its own and independent of his feelings of the rest of the Olympians. Even Apollo's actions only merited a severe ass-kicking and possible castration, then again there were others that wanted a nice piece of the sun deity and even at the lightest punishment he severely doubted Jason would allow Apollo to keep his domains or immortality.

"Tomorrow's meeting is going to suck," he groaned while rubbing his temple.

"Don't forget about the discussion of new gods to ascend," a feminine voice said off to their side.

All three turned their heads to see one Zoe Nightshade, dressed in her usual chiton but in black and hair loosely falling over her shoulders, a black tablet in her hands. Percy bit back another groan as he looked at his secretary, wondering if that near sadistic smirk she briefly flashed had been his imagination. Having visited Thalia's Sky Palace some time ago, he'd met up with the hero turned spirit and somehow the conversation had turned into how each god was looking for someone or thing to monitor their offices in their place.

Sure he had Lupa, Lamia, and Medusa but those three tended to be out in the field with him. Considering all his domains were in very little need of maintenance, he instead mostly oversaw domains having close relation to his or carefully watching the world through the eyes of his packs. After all, the Night and Darkness came long before Sleep, Dreams, and Nightmares meaning he could readily see into such things and affect them to a greater extent that most divine beings save Hypnos and Morpheus themselves. That plus his duties as king and the prayers he'd started to receive needed some attention.

It honestly surprised him how many simple wishes of being safe and comfortable during the night, even said to other non-existent deities still came to him. After all, a comforting presence to a child hoping the monster under their bed or in their closet didn't hurt them went a long way in helping them get over their fears. Still, with the war and his continued training he sometime couldn't go through all the prayers and other responsibilities so he hired Zoe. She loved it since being dead effectively left her with too much time and too little to do, not to mention it let her nag and yell at him about being a forgetful boy was right up there with her favorite pastimes.

Breaking out of his thoughts he looked at his long-time friend and chuckled as he stood ounce Lupa got off his lap. Once standing Zoe stepped closer and handed him the tablet to see a long list of small prayers and such given during the night, some of them marked as priority for consideration.

"Yeah, we are discussing god candidates as well," he murmured as he scrolled through the prayers, answering some and looking past others if he thought they were frivolous or unnecessary.

There were some that were rather sickening so he noted those prayers and who they came from. Tyche would enjoy screwing with those particular mortals and if they still succeeded in their … less than scrupulous intentions, Hades and Nico would get ahold of them soon enough.

"Can't the candidates be left for after the war though?" Lupa asked as she glanced over Percy's shoulder to look at the listed prayers.

"Not with some domains like War," he replied without looking at her. "Sure, even with the gods assigned to them, most domains continue to exist but without a god the influence could run wild. Take War for example. Without a god to monitor that domain and who it affects, our war with the Olympians might manifest with the mortals at random between any countries that have even the slightest issues between them. A god of War can not only create war but also end them and isolate or spread them. Just look at the previous world wars to see what happens when a war god doesn't do their job or even helps increase war."

Lupa and Lamia shivered at the thought, especially with how strong humanities weapons were now. Last thing they wanted was to spend the next several centuries cleaning up a radioactive wasteland and basically restarting civilization. They stopped the titans and then Gaea for a reason so it would be pretty shitty for the humans to end up meeting that same end by their own devices instead.

"So … who are the candidates?" Lamia asked after some silence, all three women watching him continue to sort through all the recent prayers.

"We have a few but no names are being mentioned out of the closed-session meetings for now," he replied in a slightly teasing tone, knowing that now at least Lamia would be literally itching with curiosity.

"It's Frank isn't it?" Lupa chirped up excitedly, like she'd just solved a big puzzle but he shook his head making her pout. Internally he smirked, loving how free and expressive Lupa had become since joining them even if in the field she reverted to that stoic she-wolf he'd met so long ago.

"No. He's one of the most favored but we know he wants peace more than anything," Percy said with a small sigh. "He may be able to handle the duties of such a domain but it would give him full godhood, something several of us avoided for a reason. I know some day he and Hazel will want to move on and taking away their partial immortality will be simple to fix."

"But if they become full immortals and then swear their immortality to the council, it could be removed just as easily and they could die peacefully then," Lamia reasoned.

"True, but once a being as obtained true immortality, their original soul changes into that of divine essence and that change cannot be reverted. It will mean that their afterlife will belong to the Realm of the Faded under Lady Chaos' watch rather than the Underworld. Considering that any children they have are legacies and therefore mortals, they could possibly pass after entire generations of their own descendants have moved on. Why become immortal and go to an afterlife with other divine beings, many of which we have probably never heard of instead of going to the Underworld and joining the family they created."

"Since when did you become so knowledgeable about gods and their afterlife," Zoe lightly teased as a different tablet appeared in her hands but this one was connected to local and international news and such since she also kept him up to date with the world abroad.

"Nyx was an excellent teacher," Percy answered before willing the tablet to disappear in a burst of shadow. He sighed as he rolled his shoulders while glancing up to the endless night and stars above him. "It's late so I guess I'm turning in."

With that said he gave a quick goodbye kiss to Lupa and Lamia before glancing at Zoe with a cheesy grin.

"I'm good," she said with a laugh while waving him off.

He chuckled with a nod before disappearing in a burst of darkness, on his way to his comfy bed and waiting queens…

* * *

 **Author's Rant: And there you go! Another appearance by Zoe, Leo POV, and Amphitrite being captured. Lots going on and it will all blend together beautifully! Hope everyone enjoyed and leaves a review to let me know!**

 **Question!**

 **Leo commented on the similarities of Percy to what could be Lucifer and that is actually a theme I'm going with, including weapon names (Purgatory, Sin, Revelation, Testament, etc... you get the picture) My question is, considering Christianity (or more technical, Abrahamic religions) is one of the most widespread and known religions, do you think the new council should emulate that religion during their reveal to humanity?**

 **Let me hear your thoughts! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	29. Angel's Warpath

**Author's Note: Hello my lovelies! Enjoying the holiday and giving mama a good hug? Good! Now then, before the chapter, some serious thoughts to answer thanks to some things brought up in reviews.**

 **Character Behavior:**

 **Yes, Percy and Co are changing from what they originally started, even if at times looking cold and cruel. That is to be expected. Years and in some cases, decades, have passed for them. They are no longer mortal, their minds and priorities are different and the experiences has affected them all, both positively and negatively. Its a major theme of mine and something for constant observation.**

 **Power Levels:**

 **Yes, they are primordials. They are so OP in comparison to titans and Olympians that honestly any single one of them could do enough damage to not only end the Olympians but human civilization itself. That's why Gaea waking up was such a shit-storm in the first place. Now, to not make this short or a bore I made rules and conditions to make it more fair and I'll also explain that fight between Artemis and Medusa.**

 **Medusa has Olympian level power, yes, but she is not a goddess, she does not have a divine form. No matter how much training, Medusa at best can equal and hold off an Olympian if they assume divine form but at the end of the day she won't win. Yes she beat Artemis in the earlier chapter but remember. Artemis was hurt, disoriented, and cut off from a significant portion of her power. If she had only been cut off but in a more neutral environment and not hurt, Medusa would have had to retreat or suffer serious injury.**

 **Just to set a rule of power for divine beings, even though the actual power usable between different classes of god is varied, I'll use Bleach and Naruto to make sure everyone gets a similar idea.**

 **Mortal Form = Basic Zanpakuto = Naruto standard form**

 **Basically a grand majority of the abilities are unusable and generally limited to bodily ability but can be pushed to higher extremes**

 **Godly Form (Olympians being 15-20ft, Titans a little bigger, Primordials being 100ft) = Shikai Release = Naruto Sage Mode**

 **Significantly stronger with some abilities being usable and perks of the state like higher healing, recovery, so forth.**

 **Divine Form = Bankai = Naruto Sixth Sage Mode**

 **Near absolute control and use of power and abilities to the most devastating degree. Walking nuclear reactors during a meltdown. Physical abilities to the top limit and the stuff that mortals told legends about (such as throwing mountains). Primordials cannot assume Divine Form in the mortal plane since they are basically Ichigo in Vaste Lorde form compared to captain level gods.**

 **NOTE: Demigods are significantly tougher and stronger than regular mortals. Remember, we haven't really seen adult demigods in the series during battle.**

 **Hope this clarifies some things, now onwards to the story!**

* * *

 **A Week Later, Percy**

Percy sighed as the council session ended, several of said members heading out to go about their own business or prepare for the Olympians. They'd tracked the movements and so far those 'task forces' or specialized groups had formed up rather quickly however it wasn't to the joy of their demigods. His words in Ares' execution had done much to cast doubt on the Olympians, added their constant losses and their own treatment of the demigods and it was a recipe for disaster. Granted a good chunk of the demigods were gunning for them for similar reasons though it was their assumption that Hestia was dead too but they could work that to their advantage soon enough.

So far the discussion had been on the point Persephone had brought up to him before, though he omitted her name or the circumstances of how she told him just to respect her privacy on the matter. Of course there had been some immediate voicing against even the thought of sparing any of the Olympians. Thalia in particular wanted them gone considering she had next to no positive view of them and calling them negligent, abusive, opportunistic bastards willing to pop out demigods only to suite a purpose. He really couldn't blame her on that front but he still thought to give some doubt.

His motion to spare Demeter had passed but she wasn't off scot free by any sense of the word and Rhea had been appointed to handle that particular case though they decided any captured or willingly surrendered Olympians would face a trail before any sentencing. Apparently she intended to give the spanking that was millennia late to her wayward daughter and Hestia had some choice words for the goddess she once called sister as well. Other gods were under a grey area leaving their fate undecided for now though the council had agreed to offer surrender any time said gods were encountered in combat, with willful surrenders gaining them far more leeway.

Others were straight up getting the noose or sword the moment they were encountered unless a specific primordial or chosen god was placed with the responsibility of the fate of the Olympian in question. That matter had actually gotten his attention, or more specifically, Andy's actions on taking responsibility for a particular goddess. His fiancé was in fact still sitting on her throne and intently reading one of her monitoring tablets. The golden edges and heart let him know that the tablet was set for a god. Getting up from his throne he walked towards her until only just a step or so away before clearing his throat to get her attention.

"Oh, hey," she said after a small start while setting down her tablet. "Can I help you with something?"

He looked at her silently for a few moments, before simply asking, "Why?"

It wasn't hard to get what he was talking about as she got more comfortable in her throne and hummed in thought before answering, "It's complicated."

"I've got time," he continued, standing comfortably.

"So you do," she murmured before sighing and then looking at him in the eyes. "I think she could change."

"Millennia old goddess with one of the biggest egos of the Olympians."

"And one of the most adaptive that actually pays attention to the mortal world without screwing it up by sleeping with half the population or murdering the other half just for shits and giggles. Yes, she's got a lot of injustices and abuses to answer for but I really think she can if given the chance."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" he asked somewhat skeptically.

Really, of all the gods on the council to redeem or reform, Andy had to pick one of the toughest cookies. At least she wasn't trying to pull Artemis' ass out of the fire. Now that was one goddess Percy was killing regardless of what anyone else said about reform and mercy. Was it for personal revenge? Absolutely. Did he give a damn? No sir!

"I'm keeping my plan a secret for now but first I have to get ahold of her," Andy answered as she made the tablet disappear and stood up. "Though, if things go well, part of her punishment could be used to help you deliver one of the final blows to Artemis."

"You devious little minx," he commented with a fanged grin.

"I know, I'm spending too much time with you," she retorted before closing the distance and giving him a quick peck. "Now get going, I believe that Rhea wanted to show you something and even Raven tagged along with her. Wouldn't want both of them upset with you for taking your sweet time, would you?"

Percy felt a shiver of fear run down his spine at the thought. Between Rhea's steely glare and Raven's kicked puppy face he was a goner.

"Right," he said before all but dashing off to the sound of Andy's laughter. ' _I'll get her later,'_ he swore as he moved out of the throne room, shrinking all the while, and raced towards the hall with the doors leading to the offices.

He jumped over some god in his way and ducked under another carrying a log before passed into the hallway and skid to a stop right at Rhea's office. The thick oak door opened without him even having to knock, letting him know he'd been a tad too slow and now Rhea was antsy. At least with Raven he knew he could fix it with a trip to a recently opened ice cream parlor in the residential district. Sighing in resignation to his fate he walked in but was surprised to see what was usually a dense forest thick with all manner of trees was covered in a light coating of snow.

Normally Rhea's office looked a forest straight out of one of those dinosaur documentaries covering a large mountain with a large, two floor cabin somewhere in the center. The forest itself she used as a testing ground for new plants and animals she was creating or she could will a portion of her forest to mirror somewhere in the world and let her get a direct view of the natural conditions. However he didn't think that would need her to cover the _whole_ mountain and forest in snow. Well, at least it gave him an idea of what she was working on and it had to do with cold weather.

Knowing that he was already on a tight schedule he seamlessly shifted into his wolf form, keeping his size to that of a rhino, and dashed across the terrain. His footfalls were almost silent as darkness and cold mist wafted off his pitch black fur, his movement little more than a blur to the observing eye as the shadows cast by the trees almost merged with him as he passed.

It took him little more than ten or so minutes to ascend the mountain in the direction of Rhea's cabin at his pace. He could see it closing in, the single chimney billowing smoke, no doubt with a kept of some hot soup cooking inside. He slowed to a trot of sorts as he neared, pausing when he caught the sound of flapping. Knowing what was coming he glanced up in time to see a bright and cheery face and icy blue eyes of his daughter.

"Papa!" she eagerly chirped as she tackle-hugged his head, wrapping her wings around his snout and looking at him without a care in the world.

"Hello," he returned, his voice carrying the underlying growl as she scrambled over his head and quickly moved to sitting on his shoulders making him sigh. "… Reduced to a pony of all things," he muttered with a low chuckle.

"Aunty Rhea is in the back with the surprise," she instructed, nearly vibrating with excitement about whatever it was. "So giddy up!"

He gave an indignant snort but moved regardless, purposely bumping his shoulders up to bug her because why not? A father should strive to annoy and embarrass his daughter on principle, regardless of suffering feminine retribution later on. In another minute or so he got around Rhea's cabin to spot said goddess standing to a massive, light blue crystal measuring nearly three stories in height and wide enough to fit a decent sized house. Within the massive structure was an equally large animal as far as he could tell though he couldn't get a definitive shape.

He walked up to Rhea's side as Raven slipped off and then shifted back to his regular form, all the while keeping his eyes on the crystal. He then looked to Rhea with a questioning gaze as she finally looked at him too.

"You're late …"

Her tone alone rang danger bells in his head.

"Had to talk with Andy for a moment about the session," he explained quickly.

She gave him a stern look, probably taking joy in watching him sweat it out, before nodding. He wasn't sure whether to sigh in relief or not. Regardless they both turned their attention to the crystal again before he asked, "So … what am I looking at?"

Rhea started as he glanced at her. "You know how you've been having trouble coming up with a creature to safeguard the North and South Pole?"

"Yes."

"Well, since wolves weren't working out, I thought about a different creature that could survive in the regions and maintain the climate while also being strong enough to ward off potential human hunters and I came up with this," she said gesturing to the crystal.

At the wave of her hand the crystal started to crack and shudder, the figure inside starting to shudder slightly. Raven who had been studying the crystal from barely a foot away squeaked as a piece nearly hit her, making her dash around and hide behind him while peaking over his shoulder. He watched curiously as dust and mist started to billow up obscuring the sight. It took a few seconds for it to clear and all the while Percy could hear the massive figure moving slightly, the ground shaking slightly with the careful steps taken. Once the dust settled Percy couldn't help but whistle while Raven gasped and Rhea smirked.

Before them was what Percy could only call a Woolly Mammoth on steroids. Standing a good seven meters at the shoulders, thick legs with densely coiled muscle that was barely hidden the thick, dusted grey coat. Long, barely curved tusked that looked sharp enough to punch through a foot of steel and tipped with a familiar, light blue crust and similar icy blue eyes to his wolves. The creature literally radiated cold as the temperature slowly dropped around it, though none of the three were bothered by it.

"You so went to the Underworld and talked with my mother before this didn't you?" he asked as he walked forward, meeting the gaze of the newly awakened pre-historic creature, or did being newly created make it post-modern?

"Yep, how else was I supposed to know mammoths were one of your favorites?" she retorted, the amusement ringing clear in her voice as Raven approached as well looking at the woolly beast in awe.

"He's strong," Percy murmured as he rested a hand against the foreleg, still meeting his gaze, noticing the gleam of intelligence in his eyes one would expect from the likes of a chimp or dolphin, possibly smarter.

Raven walked up to the head, the mammoth looking away from Percy to Raven and eyeing the small woman curiously. Tentatively it used its trunk to poke Raven experimentally, his daughter giggling all the while before she hugged his trunk.

"And he's fluffy," she said with glee before the mammoth raised his trunk and her along with it much to her delight.

Percy smiled before he bent down and picked up a crystal fragment, recognizing the signature of his own ice within it.

"So this is why you asked me for all those chunks of ice," he said as he looked at her.

"Yeah. I have a decent grasp of your Cold domain being married and all but sometimes it's better to work from the source," she said as she walked up to Percy's side and watched as Raven and the mammoth continued to study each other much to their amusement. "It took a few tries but I finally got it right and this bull is the first to fully grow. I'll make him a few cows to start up a herd soon enough."

"But what about food?" Percy asked. "I can't imagine that being this big comes with a little appetite. They'll have the same problem I had with creating wolves to guard the artic regions."

"Follow me and see," she replied as she walked off to a small garden a slight distance away.

He followed, hearing the heavy steps behind him as the mammoth, and Raven riding atop, followed him. They walked for only a few minutes, approaching a large garden Rhea had formed. Within were an expanse of small shrubs and even small trees with odd, round white fruits hanging from the branches.

"Haven't really gotten around to naming them but after eight tries I finally figured out how to form these artic plants," Rhea explained as she picked one of the orange sized fruits and tossed it to Percy. He found it surprisingly cool to the touch and smelled somewhat like grapefruit. "They'll grow best in nearly freezing weather and can absorb minerals from even the deep, frozen bedrocks of the Artic and Antarctic. If planted on an ice sheets, the roots will grow until it reaches the actual sea underneath which is also nutrient rich."

Percy gave his wife an impressed look as he took a tentative bite of the fruit, a nearly clear, blue-ish juice spilling out. Orange sized, smelling similar to grapefruit but its taste was closer to that of melon and biting it felt similar. He enjoyed it but it wasn't really his take so he offered it to the mammoth who took it with his trunk and after eyeing it curiously, tossed it into his massive mouth. Apparently the taste was just right to him as not a moment later he started to pick the fruits himself, even going as far as passing one to Raven before returning to his treats.

"Scientists are going to go bonkers when they find these," Percy commented getting an agreeing nod form Rhea as the pair continued to move while Raven stayed with the mammoth.

Once a slight distance away Percy glanced at the mammoth again before asking, "What about population control?"

"Your wolves will do nicely from time to time just to keep the future herds in check," Rhea replied as they both watched the kids, from their view, continue to eat and play making Percy frown slightly as he watched his daughter smile. Rhea glanced at him before asking in a near whisper. "Percy, how are you and Andromeda feeling about Raven?"

He sighed as his shoulders slumped while looking at his wife. "Honestly, neither of us want her to start her duties as Andy's guardian. Even if she's more or less come into an adult mentality, though she sure doesn't act like it when alone with us."

"The domains are a mess, aren't they?" Rhea asked with her own frown.

"Aphrodite's relationship with Ares did so much more than she realized. Her confusion between love and lust for a violent and abusive disgrace of a man has left deep marks in human society. Sure, it's not like she is the reason certain tendencies in regards to sex and love exist because of her but she did unknowingly, or possibly knowingly, spread and ingrain them. Hell, even the regions that haven't had contact with Greek culture and religion can show traces of that influence."

"And now Raven is meant to be Andy's direct hand in the affairs of mortals which entitles being a killer … even if those cases are little more than rabid dogs," Rhea said as she absentmindedly looked up at the mountain overhead.

Percy gave a mirthless chuckle as he followed her gaze. "You know, I used to wonder where gods got off in the way they judged for mortals. Even if most in not all have abused that authority for petty reasons at times, but now I find it hard to criticize them. Here we are, demigods turned gods and we're already casting judgement on the mortals, deciding who dies and how they should progress." He then looked at his own trembling hands. "I'm a hypocrite too … I want to make Artemis and Poseidon suffer just as much as I did. I want to rip apart everything they have and only end them when they have nothing left to live for. I even started a fucking war for it and now hundreds of lives will be dragged into it."

He then looked at his wife, searching within her eyes for the answers to his troubled thoughts ever since his encounter with Persephone.

"Who's to say down the line in a decade, a century, maybe even millennia away that we won't become worse than the Olympians and the Titans ever were? Who will-"

"Percy," Rhea interrupted in a stern voice as she cupped his cheek. "Calm down and listen to me carefully." She waited for him to nod slowly, her free hand moving up to rest against his chest, right over his heart. "You are a primordial god, the highest tier of power possible and only answerable to Lady Chaos herself … but you are not infallible, you are not omnipotent, you are not perfect. None of us are so you are bound to make mistakes but you know what makes you so different from the previous ruling councils? That you question yourself, that you doubt, that you remember where you came from and how you started out."

She glanced down softly at her hand still resting over his chest before looking at him with a fire in her eyes.

"So what if the start of all this was for revenge after the murder of your parents? I don't think anyone could judge you for it and regardless, if not you, then who? You have lived it, you know how demigods and many a monster alike were created and later made to suffer from the injustice of the Olympians just like the Titans were betrayed by many who sided with the six Olympians during the first war. Again the oppressed rise against the tyrants as history knows it, you were simply the first to take a stand and Nyx offered you the chance. And yet you're still trying to be the hero and save as many as possible. You've gone and done the illogical thing and instead of forming an army or using your power to crush everything representing the Olympians, you're trying to spare those who follow and support them because it is the only thing they know."

Rhea paused to take a breath, glancing over her shoulder to check and make sure Raven was still thoroughly entertained before returning her attention to Percy.

"You could have covered the world in pitch darkness and frozen everything until it is a wasteland. The last dregs of the labyrinth and the impressive cavern base of the Amazons? Gone, crushed and entombed with a wave of my hand. Mount Olympus and the camps? Jason and Thalia could blow it all to bits within hours from our house above the planet. Nico and Styx could unleash literal hell on the mortal world, Hestia could cause eruptions and infernos to scorch the land while stripping humanity of Hope itself. Just _one_ of us assuming our divine forms in the mortal plane would cause as much devastation, not to mention radiation, as the entire US's stockpile of nuclear weapons set off at once. We could have won already … but instead of taking it easy, we're trying to spare the world for the crimes of the few."

She then paused as she moved her hand from his cheek and chest to cup his hands together. "And, even if it sounds arrogant and entitled, being gods we stand above man. It is our right to control and protect our domains even if by those decrees some humans will always hate us. I want to protect the earth and nature which means regardless of what corporation or government starts to complain when we're revealed will have to suck it up if they don't like it. I will protect my domains just like you protect your wolves or the innocent in the night and Andromeda has the right to do so as well… even if it means Raven can't be your innocent little princess like you want."

Percy dipped his head as she said that, barely managing from muttering that it wasn't fair. Of course it wasn't but then again life simply wasn't. Every demigod's live was a testament to that and sadly that included his daughter regardless of how much he wished against it. Even his future children would have to see the ugly side of life and humanity because even without war horrible things existed and he couldn't hide them away from everything. After stewing for a few minutes, digesting Rhea's words he slowly nodded, understanding that she had a point and denying it would be useless.

He started a war and now he had to finish it, accepting the consequences and lives that may be lost because of it but he couldn't hesitate now. He was king, a leader, and his conviction to carry through with his decisions needed to be resolute. However, at times doubting himself and analyzing his own thoughts had merit as well, to keep him grounded and balanced. His inner turmoil slowly started to clear as Rhea's words and their meaning truly registered and a faint smile as he looked at his wife.

"You really are too good for me. I really don't know what I would do without you and Hestia," he said as he gently wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer until their foreheads touched.

She smiled softly before giving him a tender kiss and then pulling back. "And we'll always be there to keep your head on straight and eyes forward. You're not only my king but my husband and I won't stand for anything but the best from you so chin up mister."

"Yes mam," he replied with a wolfish grin before the pair turned their gazes to see Raven approaching, covered in snow from the heap that the mammoth tossed on her.

She smiled at them as she got close and was about to say something but before she could Percy pulled her in between himself and Rhea to hug her close, Rhea quickly joining in to smother Raven in affection.

"Papa?" she asked as she wiggled enough to move her hands from her sides to his chest while looking at him curiously.

"Oh I just felt like hugging you …" he said innocently, simply enjoying the moment and knowing they would become rare in the near future as the war picked up.

Raven didn't offer any protest in the slightest, giving him a big smile before she snuggled closer, sighing contently within their arms as Rhea smiled down at her near-stepdaughter. He smiled as well, the war and Olympians slipping to the back of his mind for now…

* * *

 **Next Morning, Amphitrite**

Amphitrite panted as she tried to recover her breath, her throat soar and pain continuously feeding back through her body. Her arms were shackled to the stone ceiling above, biting into her skin as ichor slowly oozed from the broken skin. Her skin felt dry, her sweat having all evaporated some time ago. Her knees shook with the weakness of lacking energy and dehydration. Her body was bare and exposed much to her indignation and humiliation, the mocking laughter echoing in her head after days of the repeated performances.

She flinched as the first rays of the morning sunlight passed through the celestial barred windows of her prison. She looked through those same windows, the sea beyond taunting her like her tormentors. Like the one currently sitting across the small cell from her, lounging back in his seat with a glass of wine in his hand and dirty rag resting on a small table beside him. He was tall for mortal standards, reaching over eight foot with a muscular body. His attire was an odd mix of the new and old. Jeans stretched to their limits with celestial bronze tipped boots, a glowing celestial bronze breast plate with a black leather jacket over it to cover his arms. She could see the edges of his bracers just past the cuff of the sleeves. His helmet was off to reveal his dirty blonde hair and glowing gold eyes.

Not wanting to see his smug face she glanced again at the rag. That rag, soaked in her ichor after he used it to clean his hands. She would have growled and cursed him if she had the energy but sadly she didn't. She looked down to see a massive handprint seared into her side just below her right breast, the skin cracking with small trails of ichor. ' _Hyperion, you bastard,'_ she thought as she looked at her 'uncle' again. Her chief guard and tormentor, the titan of light had been more than adept at making her stay far from enjoyable. She could only count her lucky stars that her mother's intervention had kept her from being used as 'entertainment' … for now.

Who's to say Poseidon wouldn't keep her as a broken trophy later on just to spite her? Granted that's been her existence for the last couple thousand years anyways. Still, thoughts of the future would do little for her considering her circumstances. Over a week, locked up on some tropical island under a barrier erected by Pontus. It was the perfect location for a small operations base and her torture. Being a god she couldn't starve, beatings and rape was too simple apparently, and they didn't want her anywhere she could get help. So here she was, slowly being dried into a husk, cruelly close to the waters that could restore her but also impossibly far with her uncle practicing how to brand on her.

"Getting quiet are we?" she heard her uncle chuckle in amusement but she kept her head down. "Too tired to scream."

His chuckles didn't last as his taunts carried no effect but she heard him set his glass down and stand up, his steps getting closer before she felt him grab her head to force her head up. She saw his smirking face but it disappeared when she spit a glob of ichor in his face. No sooner than a second passed before he backhanded her, knocking at least two teeth out and probably fracturing her jaw but she still didn't scream. It hurt but it didn't compare to being branded alive. Luckily he couldn't for now, no, the possibility of killing her stayed his hand. He practiced his skills at night after giving her some water. Just enough to keep her stable enough and then make her nights miserable. The day she was merely taunted, put on display so that the human mercenaries and monster forces could leer at her.

Filth. If she could slaughter each and every soul on this damn island with a rusty knife she would lose no sleep over it. So, even through the pain she glared back at him defiantly as he wiped the divine blood of his face before scowling down at her. He responded by grabbing her still injured shoulder, the puncture wounds from Poseidon's trident getting a sickly copper tone, and squeezed. She bit down on her own lips to stop from screaming even as tears trailed down her eyes.

"Ho? Still being tough are you? No matter, they all break eventually and then you'll practically beg me for mercy … at any price," Hyperion commented as he finally let go and strolled back to his seat. "Makes me wonder why you still try that act. Your mother's last kindness aside, no kingdom, husband, or allies to come for you, and a bleak future. I've seen many men break down at such odds and prospects."

"Maybe because I know you'll get what's coming to you," she finally answered as she glowered at him with contempt. "Big bad Hyperion, bested by a demigod and satyrs in the last war and now that same demigod and others have grown too strong for you," she said, ignoring his near snarl as he stood up and continued regardless. "War has already been declared, several gods dead or MIA and the remaining titans like you ran under the skirt of Pontus like the cowards you are."

"Mouthy little cunt," Hyperion snarled as her grabbed her jaw, his face only inches away. "Jackson and his little merry band _will_ fall. Powerful they may be but at the same time they are weak. They think that nine and only a handful of warriors is enough when our armies grow by the thousands and even then we have our elite added with the blessings and training of Pontus himself."

"But not for you since you aren't worth it," she ground out, enjoying holding his failings over him.

She heard enough talk around along with a visit from her oh so dear husband. His presence along with Oceanus' had changed, pulsing with new and unexplored power but Hyperion wasn't like them. One of the eldest titans and powerful but a warrior like Poseidon and Oceanus he was not. He also didn't have an affinity for the sea so why give him power specific to it if he couldn't even use it properly. His face literally burned with rage as she slapped her again, making her head spin as she heard him muttering about how he'll teach her a lesson.

She could see through the haze as he was unbuckling his pants but also the door to her cell opening. Her head cleared slightly as she heard Hyperion cry out in a mix of surprise and pain, her face breaking into a smile at the sight. It was Triton, dressed in standard Atlantian armor of forged silver with a crystal sword, a similar dagger jabbed into Hyperion's lower back as the elder titan reached for it to pull it out. She was about to say something but her son shouted, "No time!" as he swung his sword, shattering the chains holding her up.

She fell almost limp into his arms before her grabbed onto her waist and half-dragged/carried her out of the cell but not before delivering a wild slash to the still recovering Hyperion, forcing the titan to backpedal as he was unarmed. Triton ran with her through a network of tunnels as a siren suddenly went off and Amphitrite could feel the temperature beginning to rise as the light around the island intensified.

"I'm so sorry it took me this long," he said to her as they ducked down one passage and away from thundering footsteps.

"It's okay… you came," she replied as her feet weakly trudged along the dirty stone floor, a few weak lamps being their only source of light as they moved deep through whatever fortress they were in.

"No," he replied with a shake of his head as he tossed her over his shoulder before turning into a set of stone steps to the side, jumping two or three steps at a time. "I shouldn't have stood there like a fool while you were attacked. I shouldn't have even let them take you away."

Amphitrite smiled at his words, but just barely as she fought down grimaces from the pain. Riding over her son's shoulder with several open and still bleeding burns along her body was not a pleasant experience. He kept moving, passing several floors.

"Damn dungeons," Triton muttered before he finally stopped at one floor and exited into far more spacy halls.

However with the space there were already some mercenaries mixed with monsters, primarily telchines. Triton didn't stop though, charging forward and covering the distance before any of the men could properly aim. With a roar Triton swung his sword, cutting down up to three men at a time while knocking over others. He ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding the lance of a telchine before it could impale him in the side. He would have turned on the attacker but the sound of more steps approaching clued him into the fact that there were running low on time.

With a snarl he turned and ran, still carrying her over his shoulder even as mortal bullets pelted them uselessly. She thanked the heavens above that celestial bronze bullets were in very short supply and regular lead bullets of lower calibers usually weren't enough to even pierce a god's skin. Still she raged within her mind with her inability to help her son and instead weigh him down. If only she could get to a larger source of water but then again, that could prove disastrous if Pontus is already aware of their attempt of escape. She highly doubted it was beyond the great primordial's ability to drown even them if he wished.

She was broken out of her thoughts though as Triton exited the hall over the shouting of human forces and into the morning light of a large, stone courtyard. She flinched at the light as she adjusted, a cool sea breeze washing over her to soothe some of the ache of her burns. Triton then stopped as looked around before spotting a large gate and broke into a sprint towards it.

"Almost there," she heard him ground out as more mercenaries appeared from bastions along the roof of the fortress around them and fired another salvo onto them.

She winced at the sting of the bullets and looked back to see another group of telchines, this time joined by some cyclops, charging after them with celestial bronze tipped spears and steel clubs. She couldn't make much other observations though because Triton suddenly cried out after a rather large bang as he staggered. She almost fell of his shoulders but he held tight and she looked down to see that a slowly closing bullet hole meaning there had to be a human or two with higher grade guns. At least mortal weapons couldn't make lasting damage but it was enough to slow them down.

Then Triton stopped, panting lightly with a thin film of sweat coating him, just a few more meters from the gates and the expanse of land leading to the sea beyond. Another group of cyclops, these outfitted with large, celestial bronze clubs and axes, stood before them, five strong along with the ones catching up behind them. Triton gently set her down as he positioned himself protectively in front of her with his sword at his side. The two sides remained at a standstill as the pair was surrounded in all sides, modern and ancient weapons pointed at them from all sides.

"Dammit," Triton muttered under his breath as his free hand pulled out a small dagger into a reverse grip. "… Mother listen, do you think you could sprint the last bit on your own?" he asked while scanning around them.

"What?" she asked him in return, hoping that he wasn't about to suggest what she thought he would.

"If I make an opening, could you make it to the sea and then hopefully flash away," he continued. "The barrier stops just at the shore and from what I gather, Pontus, Oceanus, and … father are all busy at the moment."

"No! I'm not leaving you!" she protested at once, just barely forcing herself to a knee and looking at Triton with pleading eyes.

"We don't have a choice!" he snapped back, finally taking his eyes off their enemies.

"I don't care!" she retorted as she looked at him. "Then you escape, I'm probably too weak to flash anyways and I don't have my pearl."

Suddenly Triton's eyes widened as he dropped the knife and fished into the pocket of battle skirt and brought out a familiar white pearl with a broken chain. She gasped at the sight of it, her hopes looking up before she heard and felt the approach of Hyperion, the ambient temperature seeming to rise as the morning light grew in intensity.

She glanced back to see Hyperion now armed with a massive, claymore like sword glowing gold in his hands. His confident grin only made her grow agitated so without a second to spare she turned to her son and grabbed his hand with the pearl inside it.

"Crush it!" she ordered and he complied, turning the pearl to a fine white dust in a moment before the dust seemed to envelop them.

She could feel the energy stored starting to coat them as she heard Hyperion shout an order but she didn't care for it, just knowing that they would escape even the barrier around them prevented flashing but hopefully other means of teleportation. However, just as she felt the beginnings of transport she heard another loud bang followed by an excruciating pain making her scream.

Through tears she looked down to see a celestial bronze harpoon lodged through part of her lower gut, the barbs digging and tearing into her skin. She couldn't do anything before it was violently pulled back and her along with it, separating her from her son as he cried out for her … but it was too late. In a white flash he was gone as she fell back, bleeding out with the sound of Hyperion's laugh in the background. She couldn't stop the new tears, her last hope slipping away as she realized her hell was about to get worse…

* * *

 **Jason, Same Time**

At least once a week they would all gather for a shared meal, usually dinner but this time around it had been breakfast in the courtyard behind their temple in a picnic style. Jason had just been debating with Hercules about his new dream and obsession to spread the wonders of Crossfit across the world while some of their friends snickered in the background. He'd been arguing against the need for such extreme measures of fitness for those of a more civil lifestyle but the newly named god of Strength and Fitness of all things was adamant on converting the masses.

Off to the side they would also occasionally glance at their king as Percy was metaphorically and literally pulled from all sides. Medusa had taken to teasing her king for his attention much to the chagrin of Raven, being daddy's little princess and all so both were vying for his attention. Medusa wanted him to feed her, Raven pouting all the while and offering to feed him while Lamia pressed up against his back and generally throwing more fuel into the flame and Lupa sat back about while shaking her head at them. Lastly were the queens and Andy sitting just a little further, all three looking on in amusement and pretending they didn't notice the pleading looks Percy sent their way.

Styx sat with Nico and Will, still hounding both of them but if rumor was to be believed, slowly warming them to the idea through teasing and suggestive ideas. Lastly was Thalia sitting with Phoebe and some other goddesses, namely Hecate, Theia, and Eos and discussing some of the businesses the goddesses were starting up or expanding through their growing influence with the Canadian government.

Sadly the joy of the morning couldn't last as Jason's head snapped up from his meal as he felt the pearl he'd given to Amphitrite break, his action being noticed by the rest of the council and guests.

The light atmosphere evaporate as he shot to his feet as he felt the light condense in front of him, the other gods shooting up too with some willing their weapons to them. However they all stopped in surprise as the light flashed out to drop a tired and slightly injured dude that vaguely resembled Percy in front of him. The man, with oddly blue toned skin, looked around wildly with his sword in hand before his eyes landed on Percy.

"Jackson!?" he shouted in surprise as he took a step back, forgetting the Jason was behind him and bumping into him.

"Wow there!" Jason said as Triton wheeled around with sword raised. He was about to ask who he was and where was Amphitrite but Percy beat him to it.

"Triton," he said as he approached quickly. "What's going on?" Jason could tell that he was on guard, and now all others who weren't before were, knowing that they were in the presence of the lieutenant of Poseidon.

"No time, my mother needs me!" Triton shouted as he gave the warning signs of beginning to flash but was stopped when Jason clapped a firm hand on his shoulder, effectively grounding him to the spot.

"What happened to Amphitrite?" he asked in a deadly serious voice as Triton glared at him.

"What happened? What happened is that Oceanus and Pontus came and revealed that she was consorting with you and for the last week she's been held on an island and being tortured!" he nearly roared as he tried to shake Jason's grip but he wasn't letting go.

"What island?" he asked as the pressure of his divine aura started to manifest in a white glow, making it harder to breathe for most of the present gods save the council members.

"A remote one fifty miles north of Funchal near the Canary Islands," he replied, his agitation being cowed but the power rolling off Jason.

He focused his sight through his domain near the Canary Islands, searching for Amphitrite but instead found a blank spot roughly the distance north that Triton said. He clicked his teeth, knowing that it would take even them a few minutes to break a barrier that had been held up for a week or longer by Pontus and he wasn't sure if that barrier prevented his own forces from flashing in or out. Last thing he needed was to tip off whoever was holding Amphitrite.

"Is the barrier physical?" Jason asked quickly.

"No, they have mortals that need to come and go. You just can't flash there without the express permission of Pontus," he answered as he started to fidget. "Now let me go! She was left weak and injured with Hyperion and who knows what they'll do to her now."

Jason did let go of Triton but the sea god didn't get a chance to do much more before he was knocked on his ass as Jason flared his power, his wings springing out of his back as his coat of light materialized and his sword appeared in its sheath at his hip. He then noticed Percy and Nico nearing him quickly but before they could stop him he shouted, "Don't try it. She's there because of me and I'm not leaving her!"

"Who said we are stopping you?" Percy shot back as he gave off a far more controlled release, his wings, coat, and swords appearing in a moment with Nico doing the same. "We're going with you," Percy added with in a clipped tone.

Jason nodded back as the three looked to the others, giving a quick wave and in Percy's case receiving and hug and to be careful from Raven. Without another second's hesitation the three primordials kicked off the ground and soared into the skies above, clearing the morning clouds in their wake before Percy and Nico each grabbed one of his arms.

"Flash us there," Percy ordered to which Jason nodded, the familiar silvery glow encompassing them before they were gone in an instant only to reappear above the Atlantic, just over a thousand feet above the island Triton specified.

"Leave Hyperion to me," Jason all but growled as the rage literally made him steam.

"I'll get Amphitrite out of there and to Will," Nico said as all three drew their weapons.

"And I'll cut down the rest," Percy finished while nodding to the specks of boats, all coated black and without markers, headed for the island.

Without another word all three closed up their wings, plummeting to the earth below. The wind roared in their ears and assaulted their eyes but they didn't so much as register it as the island drew closer and more of the forces became visible. Human mercenaries, telchines, cyclops, and two distinct figures in the center of a ring of them. They weren't aware of their approach but their ignorance wouldn't last.

They hit terminal velocity soon enough and by now were getting close enough to see faces turned up from the monsters that felt them approaching. Jason spun around to have his feet facing the ground and sword drawn to his side before he braced himself.

 **BOOM!**

Their arrival was loud and rough, shaking the very island as the ground crater underneath each of them but Jason shook off the tension in his legs as the dust settled, idly noting that he'd crushed a gate and some humans on impact but they weren't his concern. His eyes instead fell on Hyperion, or more importantly, what was in his hands. Held by her hair was Amphitrite's bloody face with a clearly broken jaw and body hanging limply as Hyperion held her up. The sight only enraged him more, making him vow to pay Hyperion back for every ounce of pain he put Amphitrite through.

"HYPERION!" he roared as the island and sea around them shook beneath his wrath, his body launching forward like a cannon ball and his blade already poised to cut him to pieces…

* * *

 **Author's Rant: And there you go! Battle is one people and if I do say so myself, it will be epic! The consequences will go far and wide with this one people, just you wait! Be sure to drop a review!**


	30. Angels of Death

**Author's Note: And another chapter! Not as long as I would have liked but then again, I didn't have access to a computer all weekend so I do believe I am excused but I think this will make up for it!**

 **Some requests for the secrecy of the council to end and that is on the way but not this chapter, mostly because I was satisfied with the particular note of this chapter's end and next one carries from that. So everyone enjoy and let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I own plot.**

* * *

 **Percy**

He heard Jason's roar as the primordial god bolted forward, his white blade raised to the side in a clear intent to cut across as he barreled towards Hyperion. The elder titan was no slouch though and dropped Amphitrite before raising his own sword in time to block the slash, the impact sounding like a thunder clap. However, Hyperion was simply not prepared for the sheer force of the strike as he was launched off his feet and into the fortress behind him, plowing through thick stone like it was little better than cardboard.

Jason paused to glance at Amphitrite before looking back to them to which Nico nodded and raced forward. Jason caught the gesture and turned to where Hyperion was launched, kicking forward while cutting down a pair of cyclops that tried to get at him before the white blur disappeared into the walls. Percy for his part didn't remain idle as he drew _Sin_ and _Purgatory_ , both swords radiating cold and darkness that clearly unnerved the closest mortals.

Percy didn't give them any time to find their courage as he ran forward, his blades slicing through mortals like wet tissue, irrelevant of their military grade Kevlar. Some shouted out orders as other went guns blazing, peppering him with lead bullets that only suited to annoy him. He scrunched one eye when a bullet rebounded off his cheek so he pulled up his hood before continuing on.

He jumped over two telchines that attack him, lopping off their heads with a near lazy swing of _Purgatory_ , the katana finding little resistance in their hides. Once he landed he scanned around to see Nico surround Amphitrite with his wings as she checked her over quickly while she mumbled something. Then, with surprising gentleness for the current situation, he picked her up in a bridal carry and without preamble, jumped straight up with his wings extended. With a powerful beat of his wings he continued to ascend until Percy felt that he left the bounds of the barrier. Then, without warning of any sort, flashed away. Some of the mortals that had been looking spontaneously combusted with his departure before most of the forces converged on him instead.

Percy couldn't help a small grin forming as the thrill of battle got to him, his swords seemingly pulsing in agreement as he attacked. He ducked under the swing of a cyclops nearing him as he sliced right through its gut, the monster bursting into golden dust without even a cry of pain but he didn't even slow down. He flicked his wrist, small bursts of Voidfire flinging of _Purgatory_ and landing on several mortals and monsters alike. Within seconds those afflicted started to scream in pain as the fires spread quickly to consume their prey, even up to the essence or souls leaving frostbitten clumps of flesh.

He didn't really feel bothered by it, if anything, the mortals killed with his flames would escape whatever punishments their lives had accumulated for them with the sweet embrace of oblivion. He ran passed the burning ones, jumping up and kicking one of the larger cyclops in the chest hard enough to cave in the chest cavity while launching the body before spinning around, his swords rending through his companions before they could even raise their clubs against him.

He then landed and was about to send another wave of Voidfire before his instincts flare making him bring up _Sin_ behind him. The Viking sword clashed with a celestial bronze sword having been swung by one of the remaining cyclops, this one dressed with a tunic of the Atlantian army. ' _So Poseidon really has joined up with Pontus,'_ he thought in distaste as he deflected the larger blade to the side and brought both of his swords together in a diagonal slash. The cyclops raised his sword up to guard in time … or so he thought but sadly for him, Percy wasn't pulling his swings.

The cyclops' face went into disbelief and shock as both _Sin_ and _Purgatory_ cut through the _standard_ grade celestial bronze sword and then went through him as well, severing his head and his torso from the rest of his body. There was a spurt of the near black blood of monsters before he burst into golden dust as Percy leapt back and not a moment too soon. Someone had a bazooka of all things and the warhead had just zipped under Percy and hit the ground before exploding violently with a large shockwave that killed the closest mortals from force alone. Percy grunted a bit as he braced against it but the pressure washed away quickly enough while leaving a perfectly circular crater where the cyclops once stood. ' _Great, what's next, an attack helicopter,'_ he wondered as he straightened up.

He sighed as he shook off some of the dust before turning his attention to the stunned mortals and remaining monsters. He did a quick count while giving them his best fanged grin that only unnerved them more, especially with his eyes glowing beneath the hood.

"Now let-"

He was cut off with an explosion of power shock the entire island … and it wasn't Jason's. He glanced back to the fortress as the entire area heated up under the harsh glare of the sun. Soon after a literal comet of golden light burst out of the fortress, quickly followed by a familiar white one. Both streaked skyward and off in the direction of Spain if he remembered correctly. ' _Well that's going to get out of hand,'_ he thought before returning his attention to the forces still on the island.

"As I was saying, let's keep this party a little more private," he said as he spun his swords in hand before stabbing both into the ground. On impact a blast of cold came from him as the sky started to darken above them.

Some of the mortals glanced up to see a literal shell of darkness forming overhead and quickly spreading while the ground beneath them started to freeze. He could see beyond them as even the sea started to freeze for over a hundred meters past the shore as temperatures plummeted and the shell, with one hole at the very center, came down around the frozen waters. Almost everything fell to darkness except the last bit of light coming through the top of his shell right over him.

Percy then wrenched his swords free and jumped up, hovering some meters above them as they looked at him as if he was the devil himself. Well, as far as they were concerned, he probably was. Mercs, cutthroats, and generally paid thugs the lot of them with some monsters sprinkled in. Not an ounce of mercy was necessary here. With that thought he descended upon them, the last speck of light being swallowed as the shell completed itself, bathing the island in darkness, cold … and blood…

* * *

 **With Jason a Few Minutes Prior**

Jason chased after Hyperion, knowing that Nico would get Amphitrite to safety. He rushed past the shattered rock and landed in a meeting hall of sorts within the fortress just as Hyperion recovered his footing, his large claymore held at the ready.

"Grace," the titan growled in disgust.

"So Pontus has informed you who we are," Jason replied as he kept _Revelation_ held at his in a single hold while white lightning crackled in his left. "And I'm assuming Poseidon's been informed as well?"

"Need to know basis," Hyperion answered as he started to stalk to the side while keeping his blade aimed at Jason. "Wouldn't want some to … question which side their on…"

"Afraid more of your siblings will side with us then," Jason surmised, knowing that some titans like possibly Koios would defect and come to them if he learned his wife is one of the protogenoi now.

Hyperion let off a growl at the mention of his 'traitorous' family, including his own wife and children.

"They'll receive their punishments in due time," Hyperion said menacingly before giving a disgusting smirk. "But first I'm putting you down and then getting back to the little sea slut."

Jason snarled at that before blasting forward, clearing the distance in a blink of an eye but Hyperion managed to form a solid block this time, their blades looking with sparks between the meeting point. Jason could see Hyperion scowl as his arms trembled before the titan started to gather some power and slowly push the swords toward Jason. He wasn't about to let Hyperion get the advantage though as he suddenly released the lock and spun to the side while Hyperion lost balance before Jason lashed out with a kick.

It landed with a satisfying crunch in Hyperion's ribs before sending the titan tumbling as Jason chased yet again. He stepped forward and brought his sword down but Hyperion recovered his footing enough to raise up his sword and deflect Jason's swing to the side. Then, shockingly quick for someone of his size, he brought around his own slash. Jason hastily blocked with his coat covered arm since he couldn't bring up his sword in time. There was a clash of sparks as his forearm sent a pulse of pain but Hyperion's sword failed to cut past the manifestation of power, even if the impact itself was nothing short of monstrous.

Jason skid back from the blow as Hyperion rushed him to press the attack but Jason was ready. He sidestepped a hasty stab, swiping up with _Revelation_ to knock aside Hyperion's sword before quickly bringing it down but the titan pulled back just barely enough to save his skin but not the breastplate. The screech of metal ringed in their ears as his sword cut through the divine metal as Hyperion staggered back. The titan looked at his plated armor in surprise before lifting the side of his jacket, the foot shaped dent where Jason's earlier kick landed being clear as day.

"Impressive strength and weapons, I'll give you that," the titan said as he got into a ready stance again. "But not enough to best me."

"Says the one sporting the injury," Jason retorted getting a glare from the titan. "But I'm nowhere near finished with you."

He charged again, meeting Hyperion mid-swing as their blades collided with a blast of searing light. Jason grunted with a violent shove, surprising the titan before he stabbed forward at Hyperion's neck, just barely nicking the exposed skin before Hyperion used his braced forearm to push his sword away and make a slash at Jason's torso. Jason saw it coming though and dropped to one knee as the blade overshot before his wings flicked forward much to Hyperion's shock.

The titan threw himself back but not before several of the sharp-edged feathers cut into part of his thigh making the titan give a short cry of pain and surprise. Jason pressed forward with a rising slice, knocking Hyperion's sword up before he jumped, a flying knee nailing the titan in the kisser and knocking him back. Sadly the titan rolled to the side and back to his feet when Jason followed through with a falling stab, his sword mincing through the stone floor like putty.

He looked to the titan as Hyperion spit out a wad of ichor, his lips busted up nicely. "Don't expect me to fight like a roman," Jason quipped as he took a ready stance, this time both hands on the sword before he lunged forward and brought _Revelation_ down to which Hyperion used both hands with his sword to block.

The blow created another blast of light, shaking the stone hall around them as any debris was blown back in a violent gust. Hyperion grimaced as he dropped to one knee but held firm but then Jason smirked as he channeled his lightning through his sword and into Hyperion's. The titan gave a shout of pain as he flinched back but Jason capitalized and kicked forward, nailing the titan in the sternum as the breastplate crumpled around his foot and sent Hyperion careening back into the far wall.

Jason recovered his footing as he locked his eyes on the plum of dust, looking for any movement. Just to the left corner he saw a silhouette and lounged at it, giving a diagonal slash but was parried quickly. Before he could come around for another slash Hyperion's sword gave off a blinding flash of light. Though unable to disorient him like it would all others, the light still flooded his eyes and blocked out everything else. Then he coughed up as a fist was slugged into his gut and he was blown back into the air.

He spread his wings for a moment as he corrected himself before landing, the momentum still pushing him back as his feet carved up the stone floor. As he finally pulled to a stop the dust completely settled to let him see Hyperion with some ichor staining his lips and his breastplate crumpled around the center. Hyperion was giving him an absolutely venomous glare as he spit out a wad of ichor.

"It seems that this state simply isn't enough," he growled before his entire frame started to pulse wildly.

Jason felt the very air become heavy, Hyperion's dense power of a titanic god flaring rapidly with enough force that even Jason had to brace himself against the shockwaves. Then, without preamble there was an explosion of power, vaporizing the first layer of stone around them as fractures formed around and Hyperion became a veritable beacon of golden light. Before Jason could say or do anything the golden figure seemed to slouch before kicking off, bursting clean through the roof.

"Oh no you don't!" Jason shouted as his frame glowed in white as his wings spread and he kicked off for the chase.

He flew through the newly created exist with practiced ease, leaving a near solid stream of light behind him as he chased the comet that was Hyperion into the sky. He was vaguely aware of the island left behind and could feel only Percy's presence. ' _He'll be fine alone,'_ he thought before narrowing his eyes as he chased after Hyperion. The wind tugged and battered against his body as they moved faster and faster, a veritable roar of turbulence following in their wake. A thousand, two thousand, and so on they kept ascending until Hyperion pulled a sudden stop to which Jason relaxed, both floating some fifty meters or so apart while Jason got a good look at Hyperion.

The titan's divine form had changed his meager breastplate and bracers for full body armor of top tier celestial bronze glowing with light energy. The plated skirt ended just at the knees, which were then covered by thick look guards that ended just above the ankles. His shoulders were surprisingly bare until just after the elbow with thick bracers that partly overlapped the wrists. He wore a full commander's helm with a flaming gold plume, his eyes behind the visor glowing completely and his blade held easily at his side while he seemed to merely stand on the air itself. And to top off he stood some thirty feet in height.

"And here I thought you titans never bothered to learn to warp the world around you," he muttered to himself as his wings flapped lazily even if he kept the muscles taut and ready for action.

"An old art to be sure," Hyperion returned as he glanced down at his own feet. "Requiring far more focus and natural intuition but then again, with sufficient practice the simple matter of walking on air is nothing … or is it that you haven't mastered this art?" he tried for a taunt.

"Hardly," Jason scoffed as he glanced back at his own wings, his preferred method of travel when in the air.

All of the current council members had mastered the art as a method of training how to accurately control their divine power and Nyx had never been satisfied until they could all hold standing on air while upside down for three hours without wasting more energy than necessary. From what he'd heard, over half of the Olympians needed to assume divine form to basically throw away their energy into forming a solid surface underfoot rather than properly focus on it. Given that Hyperion assumed divine form before doing it leads credence to him being in that group but Jason could feel how actually little energy was being used.

"Ready to play little maggot?" Hyperion asked as he leveled his significantly bigger sword.

"Figured you'd depend on size," Jason muttered as he readied his sword but Hyperion only growled before he rushed forward in an explosion of light.

Jason's eyes widened in surprise at the sheer speed and barely managed to bring his sword up in time to guard but the hit felt like Ladon had tackled him and he would know from experience! The impact blew him back as his wings flapped to adjust while his arms protested from the hit as he grit his teeth. He finally gained control only for Hyperion's immense form to appear in blazing glory before him and bring his claymore down with a roar.

Again Jason raised his sword but the hit plowed him down, the edge of Hyperion's blade skidding down and cutting right over Jason's left eye. He hissed at the sting of the cut, blinking away the platinum ichor dripping into his, luckily, uncut eye as he plummeted. He could see Hyperion flip upside down before tensing his legs and kicking off towards Jason. The difference in speed was clear as Hyperion closed the distance but as he made for a stab Jason flared his wings, forcing his body to roll to the side as Hyperion overshot. Using the roll Jason swung _Revelation_ around, being rewarded with the blade slicing into the titan's bicep as he passed but not enough to honestly wound said being.

Jason didn't push the offence though as he corrected himself but remained in a head dive towards the approaching sea. He glanced at Hyperion and saw the titan trying to maneuver around so his feet were pointed downwards to then slow making Jason smirk. That was the very reason he used his wings, so that he didn't need to point his feet in a single direction before creating a solid surface. He was free to move in the air without a limit to direction with his wings.

Knowing that he opened his wings to full, cutting his momentum considerable but not enough to pull a complete spot, not that it was his intention. He angled himself into a steep incline as the waters got closer before he rapidly pulled up. The sheer pressure created an explosion on the water's surface as he just barely turned up enough to go parallel to the seas. The mist and water was kicked up in a turbulent wave behind him as he sped across the sea in the direction of land.

He made out a port and city beyond somewhat, clicking his teeth before pulling up as he glance back. Hyperion was trying to chase and just now started to lob bolts of golden light down at Jason. He swerved in and out of it as he tried to gain speed while leaving an even thicker stream of white light behind him. The land was approaching rapidly and he knew if they got to close just being within fifteen meters of Hyperion's presence would incinerate them, not to mention what a glance would do.

He spun around as he swung _Revelation_ , an arc of white lightning in the form of a blade shooting out at the surprised Hyperion. The titan guarded against it but lost his momentum and breaking his attack before Jason rapidly altered and soared upwards again. He could hear Hyperion's angry call but paid it no mind as he rose higher and higher. Again they joined the upper clouds, punching through them with ease even as Jason bit back a curse while rolling, just barely dodging a fucking plane of all things. He noticed it getting shaky on his pass and focused on it for a moment, calming the atmosphere around it while also scanning for Hyperion.

He didn't have to wait long for the enraged titan to appear just a few meters off, another blast of golden light already launched to which Jason swatted away with a bat like swing of his sword even as he was pushed back further. He eyed the titan with distaste as he relaxed his grip slightly and rolled his shoulders to relieve some tension as the titan prepared his own sword again. ' _No way around it, I'll actually have to get serious,'_ he thought as he reassessed the threat level of the elder titan.

"Feeling nervous now Grace?" Hyperion asked when he noticed that Jason returned to holding _Revelation_ with only one hand.

Jason didn't dignify that with a response, instead focusing on his manifestation of power. By his will it started to shift and distort as his entire frame began to glow brightly to the point Hyperion was forced to squint. A few seconds the light died down and the titan gasped at him, his entire body suddenly getting tenser as he realized that Jason was pulling another trick from his sleeve.

Where once was pure light formed into a hooded jacket was now something that wouldn't seem out of place in the medieval times of Europe. His jacket had distorted and reshaped to form a finally plated breastplate molded to his broad chest and sculpted core. Underneath the breastplate was a form of long-sleeved mesh covering all his skin from his wrists to the underside of his chin. Thick bracers of light and layered plates on his outer biceps guarded his arms from harm. Then his pants had also become a duller light, almost grey with the same layered light over his thighs and shin braces connected to his boots. Even his white wings now sported near silvery, finely serrated plates along the length of the outermost feather, adding a deadly edge to his already dangerous appendage.

Lastly was the hood, still formed but now more closely merged to his head, the crown dipping down enough to obscure his eyes from his enemy, along with a seemingly usual amount of light coming from _within_ the hood to overshadow his face till just his mouth and jawline were visible. His entire body glowed with the white light of his domains, white lightning arcing along the armor, wings, and blade all the same. The true form of his manifestation, a more neutral representation of what his divine form might look like while also bringing to bare the power of his domains. A form that allowed optimal control even while letting them be seen by mortals without the risk of vaporizing them, though they couldn't tolerate his presence for too long.

And more than enough power to rip apart one rampant titan.

With that thought in mind Jason flapped his wings. Hyperion barely reacted in time to bring his sword up before Jason's sword collided with another explosion of light and power. Hyperion grit his teeth, his arms trembling as he looked at Jason's face … or whatever he could make out through the blinding light. Jason remained impassive though as he gave a shove, pushing the titan measuring five times his size, and bringing around a savage kick that nailed Hyperion in the lower ribs. A sickening crack was Jason's reward as the titan was sent flying, punching through the clouds as Jason gave chase.

In a blur of light he was upon the titan and with a spin, swung _Revelation_ down, nearly decapitating the titan if said deity hadn't brought his sword up and deflected part of the shot enough to only graze part of the helmet along the cheek. Jason wasn't stopping though as he swung again just as the titan managed to arrest his momentum, this time the strike coming overhead as the titan raised his own sword with both hands to hold the attack. The collision was nothing short of monstrous, ripping apart the clouds around them as Hyperion fell to one knee and grit his teeth.

"Damn you," he growled as he flared more of his power only for Jason to equal it.

" **You already damned yourself** ," Jason replied, his voice sounding far older and tempered with the weight of his power. He then took one hand of his sword, said hand crackling loudly with white lightning. " **Harming her was your last mistake**."

Before the titan could say anything to that Jason struck, his flat hand latching onto Hyperion's shoulder and discharging enough voltage to kill a herd of elephants, the titan releasing a blood curdling scream of pain as the white electricity viciously coursed through his body. Hyperion's defense faltered through the pain and Jason capitalized, using a flap of his wings and impressive mid-air acrobatics to flip around, nailing Hyperion over the head with his armored heel.

The helm dented under the pressure before Hyperion was launched straight down like a comet of burning gold, evaporating the remains of the clouds beneath them as Jason tugged his wings close before plummeting after him. He noticed the titan regaining some semblance of balance even if he didn't try to stop his fall, instead looking at Jason with a snarl of rage and swinging his enormous blade repeatedly. Each swing launched arcs of golden light formed into blades capable of cutting even mountains into ribbons.

Jason for his part didn't hesitate to maneuver through and around them, occasionally flicking _Revelation_ across the blades to disperse them with little fanfare. He closed the distance quickly, aiming another stab that Hyperion managed to deflect as Jason came within inches of him. In that moment Hyperion lashed out with a wild hook, managing to nail Jason across the side getting a grunt from the primordial but little more as his manifested armor took the rest.

Growling in annoyance Jason swung just as Hyperion did, the blades colliding and forcing the two deities away from each other. Both stabilized soon enough before charging again, each attacking with absolute intent to kill as their movement went beyond mortal comprehension. Their bodies only blurs of white and gold, their swords all but invisible aside from the sparks of each collision. Jason calmed his previously rushed thoughts and let his years spent under the tutelage of Uranus and Aether to guide him, using his own self-created style derived of European swordsmanship and the Roman basis of his roots.

Short and fast stabs with minimal movement, both hands being used for maximum handle, mixed with the occasional hard, relatively slower swings to press the titan. He didn't so much as smirk as more and more injuries appeared on the titan, staining his burning armor with liquid gold that dripped off them and fell to the earth below. A cut across the titan's thigh, a stab to the shoulder just shy of the collar bone, part of a bracer being nearly cleaved in two, and another slash that cut off the lower chin cover of Hyperion's helm and the skin beneath. With each cut Jason would notice the titan grimace before a glow surrounded the injury and then it would be gone in seconds … but with every moment spent healing, the titan's overall glow dimmed if only slightly.

Jason wasn't unscathed either, Hyperion having landed a clean cut across the thinnest cover over Jason's right bicep and one random kick that nailed Jason straight in the chest, winding him to the point he needed to break off for but a moment to recover. Both deities were starting to breathe hard, Hyperion more so as they flew or floated several meters away from each other. Only the stains of gold and platinum ichor gave any indication of where each was injured at one point. As Jason readied his sword he noted where it had been easier to break past the guard of the titan.

He could increase his size to match the titans or assume his own godly form and completely dwarf said titan but the advantage wouldn't really go to him. Yes he could call more of his power to bare if he increased his size, at least by volume, but being a smaller target let him out maneuver the titan better. Only fools would think that increasing the raw power outage would make a battle decisive. Jason and his fellow ex-demigods were proof that just because you were smaller and relatively weaker didn't mean you couldn't bring down gods … and that was without considering that he could still command more power than Hyperion in this state regardless.

He was broken out of those thoughts however as Hyperion caught his second wind before slashing his sword and launching a massive arc of golden light nearly spanning six stories in height at Jason. He raised his sword against it, grunting slightly under the force of the impact as the searing light angrily pushed against him but he held firm. He flared light through his sword and cut through Hyperion's attack but as he did so, he failed to notice how close Hyperion had gotten. He gasped in surprise as the titan appeared right over him with the sword swinging down.

Jason reacted on sheer instinct, his wings clamping up over his head to form a dome of feathers before he felt the collision. It almost sounded like a meeting of steel even as the pressure of the hit jarred his wings and traveled through his upper back and into his body. The force combined with the positioning of his wings guaranteed that the blow sent him tumbling down. As Hyperion gave chase with a fierce battle cry he was vaguely aware that their descent was getting them closer to land, their battle having moved over a hundred miles as they collided again and again.

However instead of trying to break the fall Jason turned in the air, letting his wings randomly expand for only a moment. It was enough though to suddenly slow him as Hyperion overshot and passed him before Jason flapped after him. The titan only managed to around with his sword to partially block Jason's stab but not the knee following it. His armored knee buried itself into the titan's gut making him spit out ichor as he was launched even faster to the earth with a boom of air pressure.

Hyperion had already dropped lower than the two thousand feet and was only gaining velocity. Too agitated in the state of combat Jason moved on auto-pilot, his right arm pulling back as white lightning angrily churned around his fist and he dove after the titan while _Revelation_ was switched into a reverse grip in his left. Hyperion saw him coming and deftly tried to swing his own claymore at him but Jason used his sword to block the edge, the sound of metal grinding in his ear as he slipped closer to the immense titan. He saw Hyperion's glowing eyes widen just before his fist impacted the titan straight in the sternum with an explosion of light and the crackling of lightning, accelerating the titan even further before Jason expanded his wings to abruptly break his fall.

And not a moment too late as the primordial managed to pull to a stop, much to the protest of his aching wings, merely a few hundred feet off the ground at best while Hyperion landed like a true meteor. Heat and light erupted in a wave, the ground shaking and leveling the ground for hundreds of meters around him. It was only in the echo of rock shattering and dust settling that Jason finally caught the screams … hundreds of them.

His battle focused mind managed to snap out of it just enough for him to become aware of more than just his opponent and a vague awareness of the environment beyond immediate threats. His eyes widened within his hood of light as he realized that he and Hyperion had not been over empty grounds but a city, a densely populated one. He managed to make out some of the rough architecture beyond the destroyed ground. Cobbled stone streets, buildings of mostly stone and brick with colors of rusted bronze, mellow amber, faded granite, and other warm earthen tones. A low channel with a small flowing river and some palm trees.

It only took him a moment to listen to both the screams and prayers running rampant around him, to understand the language spoken, and to read one fallen sign to assure himself where he was. Cordoba, Spain … and Hyperion had just crashed into the city's famous Mosque de Cordoba, also partially leveling the equally known cathedral.

' _Oh gods,'_ he thought in horror as he looked around, easily picking out bodies partially buried under rubble, his hands starting to tremble as his throat became dry. ' _H-Hestia! Rhea!'_ he mentally shouted as his head swiveled around quickly.

He didn't have to wait long before he felt both their minds meld to his.

' _Jason, what's wrong!?'_ Rhea responded with Hestia right behind her.

' _Listen to the area around me,'_ he replied shakily before noticing the top of a building crumpling … and two children tugging at their unconscious mother right beneath.

He didn't even think, simply reacting. In a split second he was over them, his wings forming a shield of protection while he barely winced as the building fell onto him. The children, having ducked with screams of fear where huddled shakily to their mother, looked at him in equal parts fear and awe even though they couldn't see his face. Their tear stained faces etched themselves into his memory before he flexed his wings, casually throwing off the rubble before glancing at their mother. Like them she was of tanned complexion with deep brown hair, partially matted by the blood dripping from the side of her head and all three covered in dust.

He swallowed loudly as he checked for a pulse and sigh in relief when he found one before he gently rested his hand over her head. The children started to mumble in question but he didn't listen as a soft glow surrounded his hand. A few agonizing seconds passed before the mother stirred, giving a low moan of discomfort as she groggily sat up and opened her eyes … only for her to gasp at the sight over her. By reflex she found her children and pulled them to her without taking her eyes off him as he stood up fully. There were so many emotions in her eyes; fear, disbelief, confusion, wariness, and awe.

Without even really trying he caught some of her surface thoughts bordering on unconscious prayers, noting him as an angel. He suppressed a scoff. Him, an angel? After he brought this destruction? Of only the mortal knew. So with that he turned away, detecting the stirring of Hyperion again. He dashed away, in part to end the titan as soon as possible, and in another to all but run away from the mortal praising him when she should be cursing him. As he moved he felt the mental presence of Rhea and Hestia but also Andromeda, each using their domains to silently provide support and emotional relief to the victims around, or even softly guide them to family and friends while blocking the pressure and oppressing fear that Hyperion's very presence was releasing around him in his divine state.

' _Finish him quickly,'_ he heard in his head by three different voices in his head, making him wince slightly at the coldness of the tones.

He could feel it from both his fellow council members. Their anger at the pointless loss of life and the very situation created originally by that unseemly morning but what hurt most was their disappointment … in him. For letting the battle get so out of hand, for not getting serious from the start and ending the titan as quickly as possible rather than try to inflict more pain than anything, and for needing to continue while putting even more lives at risk to finish it. Otherwise the titan would just rampage and even while injured the sight of him was still too much for mortals to comprehend.

Biting back the bile that threatened to erupt from his throat at the thought of more lives lost, he steeled himself and rushed for the center of the crater where Hyperion was. He caught sight of the titan quick enough, looking like he'd run a marathon through Tartarus. The titan's breastplate was crushed at the center and cracking along the length, his right arm hanging limply with ichor pooling under him. His helm was gone and he moved with a weak limp, his once grand glow dulled to a faint hum. Even with the naturally terrifying and chaotic aura generated by titans in their divine forms, his was now weak.

So weak in fact, that a demigod could safely look at him from a small distance without the threat of the sight and power carried with it instantaneously causing them to combust in body and soul. Even then Jason was impressed with the fortitude of the titan. If he had attacked a minor god or titan the way he did Hyperion, they would have imploded like a cheap water balloon on impact. Hell, the fact that he was conscious and able to divert such vast amounts of his power to healing what was likely ruptured organs, collapsed bones, and _still_ get up while dragging his weapon was testament to the mettle of an Elder Titan.

But now wasn't the time to admire or give any sort of congratulations. Now was the time to finish the fight and minimize any further damage. With that in mind he launched forward, the titan still managing to swing his own sword up with his good arm but little more. Jason swung down _Revelation_ without mercy, the blow forcing the titan to his knees even as the ground cratered further beneath him. Still the titan persisted, weathering another blow aimed for his neck before quickly thrusting the sword forward but Jason tilted to the side, the monstrously large sword just grazing his armored side even as Jason stabbed forward, his sword striking true and piercing through Hyperion's unguarded shoulder making the titan cry out in pain and drop his sword.

Jason wasn't letting up though as he heaved the sword up while still in Hyperion's shoulder, a sickening squelch sounding as _Revelation_ cleaved through the flesh and bit of cracked armor, severing the arm in its entirety. A spray of ichor and Hyperion's cry of agony that carried around them was the marker of his coming doom. Jason, still wanting nothing more than to end the titan and leave as quickly as possible.

As such he reared his legs up level with Hyperion's chest and unleashed a dual kick right at the titan's collar bone, knocking him back several meters and through a wall that had miraculously remained up after the titan's impact. Jason followed after the downed titan, stopping as he floated just above him while looking at the further weakened titan as said being sneered vainly at him even as he coughed ichor, his aura of power weakening further that possibly even regular mortals would be able to look upon him now.

"… Grace …" he growled weakly a she spit out ichor, only adding to the pool forming under him but Jason didn't acknowledge him, instead raising _Revelation_ in between his hands.

Before Hyperion could say anything else. A threat and promise of vengeance, a plea of mercy, or maybe some vague and sad insight obtained through the millennia, Jason didn't care as he ended it. Swiftly and with purpose he dropped, stabbing his sword up to the hilt through the titan's chest and heart, a scream being drowned out in ichor as the titan's mouth dropped back with a last, slow exhale.

After all, there were four ways to truly fade a god. Destroy a majority of their essence until they all but collapse on themselves, something that could only be done with Styx's river or Percy and Nico's fires. Destroy enough of their domain that instead of empowering them, it drained them such as the case with Pan. Break the god's will to live such as Tartarus had done with Ares. And lastly, strike a god down when in their divine form, their truest form.

" **To the Realm of the Faded with you. Maybe Lady Chaos be swift and just** ," Jason murmured as he watched the titan slowly turn to ashen dust rather than gold, denoting his fading rather than 'death'.

An eerie silence seemed to take hold as Jason stared at the dust that was once one of the most feared beings of this planet, only to meet his end at his blade. Jason sighed as his shoulders slouched, the weight of everything that he had done and the consequences coming to him as he looked around for the first time and saw that he wasn't as alone as he'd thought. Peppered around where groups of mortals, all covered in dust and injuries but none seemed to notice as their gazes were locked on him, and they probably had been as he executed Hyperion.

Again the same emotions of the mother he saved but moments earlier were present, their minds working furiously to try and rationalize and comprehend what they had just witnessed. And even odder, several of them had camera phones aimed at him, recording even now. He wasn't sure what to do or even if he could do anything. The details of how exactly the mystic world hid beyond the appliance of the Mist being one aspect that alluded him at times. Somehow he knew he was going to get Hell and worse from Hecate … but also that there was no hiding this.

Mortals had once been aware of the mystic world and they had already started on the path to return such an era to them but _this_ was not how they had wanted to do it. With a resigned sigh he opened his wings and gently kicked off, absentmindedly expanding his mental presence to check the nearest civilians but finding most in stable condition, thanks to the combined efforts of Rhea, Hestia, and Andromeda to answer prayers of healing just enough to keep them off the edge of Hades' domain.

With one last look at the destruction he had brought, he turned his head up and flapped even harder, accelerating faster than most fighter jets as he ascended, a slight trail of tears spilling down his cheeks. He'd rescued Amphitrite and eliminated one of the more dangerous titans … but at what cost…?

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Holy Shit! Talk about coming out with a bang! Hope everyone finds the battle to their satisfaction. Also, to give everyone an idea of the forces of this war for some perspective.**

 **Primordial Council Forces: Percy, Rhea, Hestia, Andromeda, Jason, Thalia, Nico, Styx, Phoebe, some small elite forces or guardians and extra gods like Hercules and such.**

 **Olympian Forces: Remains of the Olympians, loyal minor gods, 1000+ demigods, some creatures**

 **Pontus Forces: Poseidon, Cyclops Army, Undersea armies, several elder titans**

 **Hope that helps, peace and see yah next chapter!**


	31. Anthem of Anarchy

**Welcome back to another chapter! Lots of reviews and excellent points that I was more than happy to answer or in some cases, defend. To address it as a whole for everyone.**

 **Percy/Jason's Disregard For Mortals/Temper:**

 **Years and in some cases, decades, have passed. Even if at the core they are still the same as in the original canon, the fact of the matter is that people change. Their experiences took away a lot of their positive outlooks and being turned to gods makes them fundamentally different than mortals. They are kinder and more empathetic but in the end they are still gods and will have a slight detachment from mortals. Also being gods means that their emotions have far more effect, after all, Greek mythology is all about gods with toxic tempers.**

 **Hyperion/Titan's Strength:**

 **Look, I love the series but it still doesn't make sense how some of the titans were defeated. These guys are supposed to be strong enough to destroy entire landscapes and fight at levels that mortals simply can't comprehend. And about Hyperion being defeated by Percy with nothing more than some nature magic, I disagree. Hyperion was one of the few fights we saw with direct Demigod-Deity confrontation. Percy had the curse of Achilles basically making him indestructible and he's the strongest demigod of the generation. I bet you without the curse he would have been crushed within the minute and he simply distracted Hyperion while he was sealed away before he could assume his divine form or something and incinerate everyone around.**

 **In this fic ALL gods will fight at full strength. Not gods holding back because of arrogance or pride in fighting simple demigods. That means that they will completely outclass the kind of combat we saw in the canon series by a significant margin.**

 **ALSO: Primordials are more powerful but they can't use all of it in one go or even assume their divine forms since its too destructive. Yes Jason could have won sooner if he didn't lose his temper but it's rare for fights between these beings to be mere one-shots.**

 **That's all I can recall at the moment but if there are any other questions please just ask. Now enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own plot.**

* * *

The wind pulled at her hair as she sped along, not even batting an eye as her destination came within sight. A dome of pure darkness seemingly dropped at random in the sea but she knew. She could feel his presence … and the emotions or lack of them. She shivered unconsciously as she pulled up from her dive, her purple wings fluttering in the sea breeze as she watched. Likely sensing her presence, the dome began to crack and give, opening a passage for her and growing by the second.

She moved through, idly thanking Chaos that the Olympians held little to no connection to their current location, otherwise they would have flashed into the area within minutes. As the dome fell and light came through she was treated to a nightmarish sight. A once tropical island turned into a frozen wasteland, broken and desolate. The ancient fort left since the time of the Spanish armada and then reformed through the use of mercenaries was ripped apart beyond use or repair.

Her eyes scanning over noted some corpses, all alight with black fire, as they slowly crumbled into a paradox of ash and blacken, frozen flesh. Every mortal being put down like rabid dogs, their souls fed and consumed by the unholy fires in equal parts to their bodies. Left to the chaos and void in their totality. And at the epicenter of it all was one man.

Tall, lightly tanned with wild raven locks sprinkled with icy blue tips. Flaming black eyes with the glowing blue centers and devoid of emotion. His coat of darkness, caressing him like a twisted miasma of sentient shadows and personified cold. His two blades luckily sheathed even as she could practically taste the blood they'd been immersed in. She gently landed in front of him, even as he didn't react, his gaze seeing all and nothing before him.

"Percy," she said gently but still didn't get a reaction worrying her that much more.

It was a times like this that she truly feared for him. She knew him best, even more so than Rhea or Hestia, and that was because she could feel his emotions at a level no one else possibly could. Sure, when she'd wanted to read if he felt the same type of love for her and she did him she couldn't, not with him being unaware and possibly hiding it but like this, he was a literal clean slate. The problem was, he was a blank slate because he wasn't feeling emotions.

It had happened before, rarely, but at times. When he was pushed to an edge, something that challenge his own morals and ideals to the bitter end, that enraged him beyond reason, that he'd do this. Percy, her brother, now fiancé, the quirky, silly, and lovable goof that somehow became king would disappear and leave Perseus. The primordial god of Darkness, Shadows, Night, and Cold. A sentient facet of creation and destruction with no true view of good or evil, no bias or prejudice, just an intention that was to be carried through.

From the looks of her surroundings, his intention had be the total extermination of the forces left here by Pontus. If she had to guess, Percy found something in the island that made him label the mortals here as rabid dogs worthy of nothing more than oblivion. She knew her brother held true hatred and, as long as the two main focuses of that emotion lived he would never move past it. And that hatred spread to other situations and circumstances … situations that when found, would cause this. Percy would flip like a switch, channeling the true embodiment of what it meant to be Cold, to be Darkness. He became ruthless, apathetic, and unforgiving. Then, when everything was said and done he would just stop, completely blank.

Just like he remained, sitting on his throne for hours after having defeated Ares in the boxing ring and allowing Lamia to end several hundred mortal lives, the same as when he sat alone after having watched as his pack and _Shadows_ ripped apart the Hunt, and now, after having committed nothing short of a slaughter. Even if he was a god now, part of him would always find distaste in the killing of mortals but more than that, being disgusted with the ease that he could kill them and feel next to nothing. So far he was the only former demigod to have ended mortals out of the new council members. Even now, she could tell how shaken Jason is after having caused hundreds of deaths himself, having snapped himself out of his own rage that led to it.

They weren't some soulless creatures steeped in the blood and chaos of the mystic world. Beings that either reveled in the pain and bloodshed or were forced into such an existence and knew nothing else. These were immortal souls within flesh, each at one point young and innocent, only to become twisted and distorted through the pains of life until they met their end. Killing them didn't have the detachment demigods used to remain impassive as they cut monsters down. These were lives being ended, never to come back and even if re-incarnated they would never be the same.

She knew it weighed on her king's mind more than anything. This war began to end the reign of cruel gods toying with mortals and yet here he was, cutting them down by the dozens, even if those mortals in question were far from innocent and guiltless. But she could feel it in the air, the lingering horror and abuse that bathed this island long before they came to end it. But Percy would still hold the guilt and remember this day, regardless of that fact that he ended monsters in human flesh.

"Percy," she whispered again, stepping in his direct line of sight but he still seemed to be entrenched in his blank zone.

Almost timidly she reached out and cupped his cheek, flinching at the cold of the touch but she held firm. Standing on her toes she moved forward and softly rested her warm lips against his, her body pulling closer to spread warmth to him. He needed this more than anything. To know that it didn't matter if he wasn't the great and just hero of old, that he is a king just as much as an executioner at times. That in the end, regardless of what he did or became, he wasn't alone. She, Rhea, and Hestia would never leave or betray him because just like him, they had as much potential to become monsters as well.

Fire would burn without discretion, Nature was merciless to all in perfect equality, and Love had been the beginning of some of the worst horrors to ever traverse this world. None of them were innocent in the end, they were perfectly imperfect together, and nothing would change that. Knowing that she kissed him with all she could, conveying love and devotion to him.

Slowly she felt him respond, his lip beginning to push against hers as his arms found her waist. Where once was like a blank spot devoid of emotion became a flickering flame of it. She started to feel it all. His moment of self-loathing before shutting down, the apocalyptic anger that had been before as he slaughtered with extreme prejudice, the once cool detachment he held as he merely fought the forces, killing simply because they were his opponents rather than for his own personal reasons, and lastly his mix of focused goals and near excitement for battle as they came to the island.

With each one he became whole again, returning as her Percy rather than Perseus. His body became cool again rather than the biting cold she'd first felt. She internally sighed with relief, glad that this episode had passed easily enough but just to make sure she would inform Rhea and Hestia later tonight, knowing that the physical presence and support of his queens would go a long way as well. So, softly she pulled back, looking at him as he slowly opened his eyes. They stared at each other for a few quiet minutes, content to hold each other before Percy sighed, one of his hands coming off her waist to scratch the back of his neck.

"It happened again," he said with a tired murmur.

"But you're okay now," she returned a she cupped his cheek, still radiating comfort.

He snorted lightly before glancing around, grimacing at some of the partial corpses left behind. Then, without her encouragement he spoke softly, his eyes seeming distant again. "You know, I forget sometimes that humans can be just as bad as monsters and gods." He glanced at her before continuing to look upon the destruction around him. "It was just pragmatic at first. Kill them quickly otherwise Pontus might regain some forces but when I got deeper into the fortress …" He stopped as he clenched his fist. "Amphitrite wasn't the first here … and I even found some live 'toys'," he all but snarled at the end as she scowled.

"So that's what set you off, having to put down other captives for their own mercy," she said softly as she hugged him closer, partially burying her face in his chest.

She felt him nod. "Again it makes me wonder why bother with the discretion rather than just clean up the entire mess that has become humanity."

"Because you'd never condone the loss of the innocent just to have an easier job wiping out the guilty," she replied while hugging him tighter. "You're still too much of a hero for that."

That got a throaty chuckle out of him as his chest rumbled, an underlying growl coming out as his wolf side became prominent.

"Maybe …" he sighed before wrapping both arms around her as she glanced up at him to see his sad smile. "Let's get out of here," he said just as his wings extended.

With a powerful kick he launched them up, holding her with practiced ease as they ascended hundreds of meters in seconds before he leveled off and glanced down. She watched as he flexed one free hand, pointing down at the frostbitten island as an orb of pure darkness formed at his palm. Quickly it grew as the very air around them became heavy and cold, the light seemingly drawn into the manifested void. She felt the power condense around that orb, knowing that it already contained more power than that of a minor god and enough pressure to crush iron if it merely got too close.

Without a word Percy flicked his wrist, as if doing nothing more than casually tossing a soft ball. The orb of darkness fell as if shot from a gun, hurdling towards the island. She watched in rapt attention as it collided at the center of the courtyard, plowing throw the frozen grounds as if it was wet sand. Barely a second or so passed before it detonated, the tiny orb suddenly expanding to encompass the entire island with a resounding boom as the wind buffeted them even from a distance. Then, like a rubber band it collapsed with a last shockwave as the sea churned around it.

Where once an island was now nothing more than a crater, again surrounded with the paradox of steaming waters and frostbitten dirt. Quickly the displaced water rushed in, hiding the last evidence of what was the results of mortals facing forces beyond them. Andromeda couldn't help but muse that if any scientists came to the area and scanned the trace energies left, they would find traces of what amounted to a cold fusion bomb going off.

"Well, that's finished," Percy sighed before looking at Andromeda, the goddess still rather comfy within his hold. "… What happened with Amphitrite?"

"Will, the wild medical god has her already," Andy replied before grimacing slightly. "The damage was pretty bad and she'll be out of it for a while."

"I could imagine," Percy replied with a growl as he looked at where the island once was. "Was she …"

"No, thankfully," Andy answered, wondering if Percy held any affection to what amounted to being his step-mother.

Considering she could detect some familial protectiveness, if even the bare minimums, it could do him some good. He always did respond best when focusing on helping others and both Triton and Amphitrite might find sympathetic understanding with him in regards to what Poseidon has done.

"What of Jason and Hyperion. I was pretty out of it but I'm sure I felt the sudden absence of presence," he continued getting a sad frown from Andy.

"Yeah, about that …" she started, wondering how Percy would respond to the near disaster unleashed with that battle. "… Let's go home first to see Rhea and Hestia," she said while thinking, ' _Otherwise you just might beat the ever loving crap out of Jason without those two holding you back. Granted I'm pretty sure they are tearing into him too,'_ she thought as Percy pulled her closer, the golden glow encompassing them before they were gone in a flash…

* * *

 **Percy, Three Days Later**

Percy sighed from his throne as his eyes watched several screens floating throughout the throne room as he and his fellow council members watched with sad eyes. Some occasionally glared at the responsible party. Jason for his part looked the most afflicted, siting rigidly as he watched each and every screen, taking in every ounce of misery seen as a form of morbid self-punishment. He was sporting a freshly busted lip, added to his newly scared left eye and arm currently in a cast.

Percy had been angry with how Jason had lost momentary control but he couldn't blame him, otherwise it would be the height of hypocrisy. Just like he nurtured his own hatred and became ruthless, Jason contained a broken heart ever since he left camp Jupiter along with a buried rage. A heart that had started to yearn for Amphitrite without the primordial's knowledge and in seeing her so broken, had unleashed a wrath like no other as Hyperion and sadly, the mortals now knew. Only Percy himself, his queens, and Andromeda knew though, deciding that this was something Jason needed to figure out for himself and judging by how he visited Amphitrite's hospital ward several times a day, he may be on the way to figuring it out.

Sadly that did not spare him the council's displeasure and of all people, Hestia had been the angriest. To feel the very hope leaving the afflicted mortals, some abandoning each other in a mad dash to survive the sudden upheaval of their city, and all the pointless death had both disgusted and angered her. She was one of the most empathetic to the mortals, her domains reflecting their state of mind and will meaning she suffered with them. Once she, along with Rhea had provided the support they could and the council had gathered, she challenged Jason to a fight in Tartarus to make her wrath known.

Jason accepted and then took it all without complaint, even seeming eager to suffer for what he did. He didn't try to dodge as Hestia broke several of his ribs, didn't utter a complaint as she shattered his arm or burned one of his wings. They watched as Hestia proved why she was the embodiment of Fire and Lady of Dragons. She'd challenged him again the next day again, breaking his arm again, and literally kicking him through the coliseum of the Pit until she finally tired and broke down crying. He along with Rhea and Andromeda had held her for the whole night, trying to soothe her.

She'd finally fallen asleep barely a few hours ago and all three of his _Shadows_ were with her up in the House of Primordials to watch over her. Hell, Ladon had been more than ready to try and fly up to the house just so he could curl up protectively around his mistress but Percy had been able to convince the mighty beast to remain put on the mountain. Now they could hold another session after Percy had taken his one shot to give Jason that new busted lip but otherwise the physical displays were done and over.

He knew Jason was more than repentant about his actions, especially considering it was all because he didn't finish Hyperion the moment the titan had assumed his divine form, the strongest and most vulnerable state a deity could assume. But the past was just that, past. Now they needed to focus on the present and plan for the future. That was why they were watching several different news outlets at the moment.

News coverage had gone global within 24 hours and mass hysteria had been narrowly avoided due to what was found and the late intervention of the Mist. Hecate had been a vengeful demon thanks to the mess. Thanks to her influence still being closer centered to the Americas and their intent to slowly reduce the Mist, she'd been too late to truly cover up the event as some freak of nature, what's more, there were pictures and recordings.

Normally mystic beings unconsciously thicken the Mist around them to the point it even interferes with mortal technology while the mortal minds rationalize what they do see as something else. However, the aspect of faith influences just what they see and like demigods becoming aware, where once was just odd people were now monsters in crappy disguise. A heavily religious city and land witnessing an 'angel' slaying a pagan god with proof, two deities literally burning away the Mist with their presence as they fought and engraving their presence onto the mortals that witnessed it.

Even Typhon had been constantly surrounded by storm clouds and Hecate had kept a constant coat of the Mist for miles around the titan as the Olympians tried to fight him. Mortal Manhattan had been put to sleep for a reason and much of the evidence had been hidden or repaired long before the mortals could find anything. Not this time though. Oh no, the internet and the shockingly open-mindedness of frequent visitors, combined with overexposure, hard proof, conspiracy theorists, and lacking government reasoning for the event made sure of that. They'd even gotten samples of ichor left at the sight which 'mysteriously' disappeared after Percy sent Medusa.

Last thing they needed were mortal governments experimenting with what could be considered liquid power even if they were centuries away from having technology capable of understanding the elements present within divine blood. Still, the fact of the matter was that the world at large was aware of something beyond their current understanding existed and thanks to Jason's uncanny resemblance to a biblical creature, the conversion to Christianity was on the rise… and coincidently, prayers of confession. Apparently seeing a real angel lit a fire under the less than scrupulous followers.

Styx, Phoebe, and Nico were morbidly amused by how people started praying about their broken oaths and promises, Fate, and Judgement into the afterlife respectively. Percy also felt the change in nature of dreams within the Night along with a significant increase in nightmares for those who saw the angel as a very bad thing.

"So …" Nico started, breaking Percy out of his thoughts as he and the others focused their attention to the god of evil. "… What's the plan now?" he asked while tapping a foot.

"I'm not sure," Percy murmured before looking at Andromeda. "How are things with the mortal governments?"

"Well I had to think fast while talking to both the Canadian and British prime ministers," Andy replied with a sigh. "They were pretty nervous about the fallout coming from such destruction. Now they're getting scared about what might happen if we reveal ourselves _and_ claim Canada as our residence. Not to mention Great Britain is now allied to us too so they could face some backlash for it."

"Gods save the queen," Thalia muttered.

"Already on it," Styx replied to some snickers before she got more serious. "But really, we've given a valid reason for the mortals to be very weary of us now. At least our current allies were given notice to what's coming and we didn't sugarcoat the aftermath that could come of our war."

"Yeah but dive-bombing a historically and religiously significant city and racking up a death count in the hundreds might have given them a more realistic idea of what wars between gods entails," Thalia cut in. "Hecate already said it. With belief comes awareness to the mystic and sadly battles like that could happen again if Pontus' forces gather near mortal cities or even use mortals."

"You don't think…?" Rhea started but Phoebe cut in.

"Most likely," she said while her eyes flashed green. "Atlas used mercenaries even during the early stages of the modern man and did it again in the last Titan War. I don't doubt that Pontus will make use of mortal forces and even if he doesn't make them join him through blackmail or fear, he could instigate them to attack us."

"In fact, we can be almost certain he will," Percy said with a frustrated sigh. "That island was proof of that but now the question is, which country?"

That made them go silent as they contemplated the possibility of having to face down mortal armies as well and the fallout due to it. There were several very powerful countries with weapons and the capacity to cause mass destruction as a whole. They knew that once revealed there would be entire countries screaming for their blood. Calling them demons, abominations, proof of blasphemy, and so forth. However, the idea had been to open up once the threat of the Olympians was over and if necessary, essentially bully and intimidate such countries or groups into non-violence.

They didn't want to conquer and control the world. Were they willing to ally and help friendly or neutral countries? Yes, but if any mortal groups wanted to remain hostile, as long as they stayed at a distance and stewed in their own anger rather than try to cause damage, then that was fine even if they kept a weary eye. They would only use aggression as defense but until then the mortals would be given the benefit of the doubt … unless certain actions directly damaged a facet of one of their domains but that was a completely different can of worms to deal with.

Percy quirked an eyebrow as he looked at one particular screen with a European talk show, a priest-well-Cardinal from the looks of it, very eagerly claiming the proof of the divine with the 'holy' angel cutting down some pagan being and other such 'miracles' happening days after. One such being Percy sending his pack to use the shadows to bring survivors and corpses alike near emergency centers where the mortal rescue forces wouldn't be able to reach otherwise.

Sadly there had been some Olympian affiliated beings investigating as well so they couldn't do much without tipping their hands or adding more violence to the area. Speaking of Olympians…

"Thalia," Percy asked, taking his eyes off the crowing clergyman. "Any news on the Olympians?"

Thalia blew a strand of hair out of her face before answering, "Headless chickens is the trend right now but Athena is reigning the lot in. They're getting frantic since Poseidon is MIA for them now too. Several of the Argos are stocked and ready but so far none have left."

"And once they do, what?" Jason asked, speaking for the first time in days. "Shoot them out of the sky? Otherwise they can and will start dropping bombs once they find the city."

"We could always force them down with some storms," Thalia responded easily before grimacing. "But that still means facing them on the ground."

"And the Olympians will hide at the back," Nico muttered while folding his hands under his chin.

"Not if we can draw them out though," Andy cut in getting the council's attention.

"And how exactly can we do that? At this point none of the Olympians or the few gods with them go out alone so any tries will lead to battle. Worse is that all of them are in or near mortal populations which is just another repeat of Cordoba," Styx responded.

"The Fall of Cordoba," Rhea murmured as she looked at one screen displaying that very headline. "That one's going down in the history books," she added grimly while many of the council members grimaced at the thought.

Silence reigned for a while as thought on the newest problem. How exactly could they get to the Olympians without needing to attack and essentially slaughter the demigod forces around them? The Olympians were still gods and even if they got the drop on them, there was no way for a fight to break out without some massive damage to the surrounding area and demigods, regardless of how tough compared to regular mortals, could simply not last within the presence of gods fighting at full tilt. This wasn't like Hestia's abduction either considering that she wasn't resisting when Percy took her.

"Maybe all we need is the proper lure and bait," a new voice said making all turn to the entrance of the throne room to see Hestia walking in, growing with every step.

"Hestia!" Rhea said as she and Percy stood to approach her but she raised a hand to stop them.

She approached steadily, not looking anywhere near rested enough and Percy could hear Ladon whining in the need to come to his mistress and make sure she was okay. Still, she came and gave him, Rhea, and Andy a quick kiss before plopping down on her throne while looking around before settling on Phoebe.

"Athena is the current head and as long as she is there, the Olympian forces have direction," Hestia continued. "Without her, taunting and luring the other Olympians will be easy enough, after all, we have plenty that they would want," she said before looking to Percy and giving him a look that let him know he would probably not like this plan.

"And what exactly would you want to use as a bait for her?" Nico asked with narrowing eyes.

"Me," Hestia replied while adjusting in her throne to get comfortable. "The Olympians still don't know what happened and Poseidon keeping his distance is a good thing for now. We know they will have to travel during the day since they don't all our capabilities and would avoid the night as much as possible. We also know Athena will likely be part of the invasion force since she commands the main lines. All we need to do is separate her enough that one of us could engage and subdue her," Hestia continued while looking at Andy intently.

Andy caught the look and nodded before addressing the council. "We need to move our timetables forward. Thanks to Cordoba, we not only have to worry about to divine factions but the mortals as well. Removing Athena will cause enough chaos for the rest of the forces to be easy to pick off before they get here." She then looked at Percy specifically. "One or two of us fighting whatever forces specifically travel with Athena should be more than enough of a window."

"And what would keep other gods from interfering?" Jason asked. "We don't even know if Athena will be the only one of her ship, in fact, I expect several minor gods to be present with each group and the ships can carry upwards of 200 troops each."

"Well …" Styx started up as she looked at each of them. "Maybe it's time for the entire council to go on a little excursion," she said with a less than innocent smile…

* * *

 **Leo, Two Days Later**

The minor god of the Forge and Advancement hammered rhythmically upon the sword of imperial gold, the heat of his forge turning his entire workshop into a Dutch oven and forcing all his sibling helpers out. But it was better that way, letting him drown himself in his work during the late hours of the night. His shirt having been tossed aside hours ago leaving him in greasy overalls, his newly defined arms dripping with sweat as he worked on while his mind wandered.

It had been nearly a week since the world was shaken up with the "Fall of Cordoba" as it was called and the first sight of a tried and true angel. You know, when he mused about angels showing up to hack apart gods he was being sarcastic! But those clear 10 seconds of footage with _Hyperion_ of all titans being stabbed and turned into that white dust, he knew that titan was well and truly dead. Now not just the Olympians but entire world governments were making remarkable chimpanzee impressions while flicking shit at each other.

Never before had he cursed his redesigned TVs and computers that allowed demigods to use them safely without the threat of monsters since now everyone was basically scaring themselves more by constantly re-watching that footage or listening to global news on Cordoba. Hell, for all intents and purposes a new religious movement has begun. Christians of every creed in Saint Peter's Square, Muslims moving in droves to Mecca, the Grand Isle Shrine in the Mie prefecture for Shinto believers, and so forth.

Of course no world level event is complete without conspiracy theorists! Some say that it was government testing of new super humans, others thinking aliens have finally arrived to duke it out with each other while taking the guise of religiously significant forms for shits and giggles. At this point Leo wasn't sure and considering there was absolutely _nothing_ on that being within the archives of Olympus, they were flying blind.

"Stupid… **Clang** … freaking… **Clang** … angels… **Clang** … or demons," he gripped as he finished hammering out some dents in the sword before tossing it into the sharpen and polish pile.

He was about to grab another one when he heard a cough behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see his oh so lovely wife, Calypso, dressed in a simple tank top, sweats, and her hazel curls pulled into a bun. Glorious. She wasn't bothered by the heat having long grown used to it and some perks between the marriages of gods.

"Are you planning on staying out all night?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

"Maybe?" he replied with a shrug but it didn't look like his wife was amused.

"You know the fleet heads out in the morning. They need you to head the ships or are you going to let Hermes and Apollo drive?" she asked next, as if daring him to say yes.

No no, the only reason Apollo hasn't had an accident yet was because there was nothing to hit so high up and Hermes was a speed junky when traveling. He was not letting his ships go out in blazes of glory because of those two.

"No, I'll be in soon," he said somewhat shakily, his normally tanned skin paling considerably at the thought while Calypso gave him a knowing smirk.

"So why are you still out here?" she asked as she moved to look at some of the newly repaired swords and shields.

Leo sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Just … I guess the stress is getting to me," he answered.

Calypso snorted before looking at him. "I'm pretty sure Athena has developed a permanent eye twitch," she countered making him snicker.

That goddess had been on the receiving end of non-stop questions the moment news about Cordoba broke out. Moral was getting low after seeing one of the most dangerous titans cut down like that but Athena had managed to keep her cool with the help of Annabeth, Zeus, and surprisingly Dionysus. Well, more like he'd snapped twice already after hearing complaints and whines for too long and turned nearly a dozen demigods into bottle nose dolphins. Thank goodness other gods were close enough to revert the changes, now everyone just keeps down when he's present and constantly offer him diet coke.

"Yeah," he hummed as he stretched his back to a series of loud pops. "Good thing Dionysus is staying back for defense of the city. I'm not sure we could afford the friendly fire."

"I'm worried about Lady Hera though," Calypso added getting a slow nod from Leo.

Ever since Ares' execution the goddess had been too quiet, barely responding to anyone or anything beyond her husband and sometimes Hephaestus. Some would think that the goddess was basically a living mannequin at this point but that couldn't be farther from the truth. She was going with the offensive force and no one could stop her, otherwise they'd be the targets of her wrath. She'd nearly killed one demigod for making a comment on her dead son in passing, not having known the goddess was within earshot but luckily Demeter was with her and managed to stop her.

"It's a risk, no doubt about that," he agreed. "But at this point she's about as bloodthirsty as Artemis now."

That and he'd seen her training once late at night. It was then that he was reminded that she, along with the biggies like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, had in fact fought on pare with titans and taken names too. And everyone thought Ares' aggression came from Zeus, how sadly wrong they were.

"Charming comparison," Calypso muttered as she set down a dinged sword. "But still, even as a god you should come and get some rest."

"Okay, just let me wrap up the last few swords," he replied as he picked up a larger, two-handed blade with a bent tip.

He set it in the fire and patiently waited as it heated, knowing this would probably be the last of the night otherwise Calypso might lock him out of the room and he really didn't like the couch.

"And here I wanted to give you a proper send off," he heard her sigh dejectedly making him glance back only to catch her walking away with a nice little sway to her hips.

Maybe he could set the sword down and get some rest … after completing his marital duties of course…

* * *

 **Athena, Next Morning**

She gasped as she awoke, light drops of cold sweat running down her forehead as she glanced around quickly with a small celestial dagger held in her hand. She then spotted her daughter at the door, looking back at her in concern as Athena's heart slowed to a more sedate rate. As she calmed she rubbed her forehead, setting the knife down while hearing as Annabeth approached slowly.

"Mother?" she asked tentatively as Athena looked at her, their equally grey eyes locking onto each other.

Athena knew there was a slew of questions within the gaze and she wondered to herself if letting anyone else know of her latest 'visions' would help in any regard. So far she had made little of them, finding them too fragmented and inconsistent to really gain a conclusion to their purpose. All she could actually be assured of what who they concerned; Hestia.

Distorted images, usually with the kidnapped goddess bound in shackles, the sound of her voice in bare whispers asking for help. She'd been able to make out some of the background, giving Athena the vague sense of being outdoors and close to a water source. But then before Athena could try to make a connection to try and communicate, Hestia would be blocked out by the familiar shade form of Umbra, the living shadow giving her a sinister smile every time before she would wake up just like she did now.

"Mother?" Annabeth asked again, sounding more concerned and making Athena noticed that she'd gotten carried away with her train of thought again. "Are you okay?"

Athena looked at her daughter carefully but then decided against mentioning the worrying visions. She could tell they weren't fake thanks to feeling little traces of Hestia's presence within the visions, something demigods could not distinguish making them easy targets for false visions and traps.

"I'm fine," she replied as she hastily got up, brushing aside Annabeth's gaze as she got dressed into her clothes for the day.

She really didn't want to worry Annabeth further, not with the tasks for the day ahead and knowing adding her visions of Hestia would only be a distraction for now. Until she got something more conclusive about Hestia's possible location, it was best to keep the information private. At least with it she knew her aunt was still alive and didn't seem harmed as far as she could tell but unless she could find Hestia, it would be best to stay silent on the matter and not get everyone's hopes up.

With that in mind she finished dressing in a chiton before donning a standard breastplate, overlapping plated skirt, bracers, shin guards, and her helm tucked under her arm. Fully dressed she walked out of her room in a private barracks built specifically for the staying gods. Ever since Umbra's attack on Olympus the entire mountain has felt cold and desolate, the feeling radiating from the throne room making most of the gods too uncomfortable to even reside there.

Annabeth, her lieutenant, followed behind dutifully, also dressed in full armor and ready to head out. The silence was less than comfortable though, both between the pair and the camp as they made it outside. Much of the loading for the Argos III, IV, and V had been done the day before and now all that was left were the actual demigods themselves. Many paused and bowed their heads to her in acknowledgement which she just returned as she moved on her way.

In only a few minutes she had reached the fields of Mars, the grounds spanning out as the three ships gleamed in the morning light. Each Greek inspired trireme spanned over 150 feet with a wider hull and an automated ballista every 25 feet in between. Decorating the front were dragon heads of celestial bronze inspired by Festus and programmed through the efforts of Leo. Athena honestly had to give it to the god of Forge and Advancement. Originally she had not expected much of the second domain but after having seen the performance of these ships, even without drivers, she had seen the great potential for modernizing a great deal of their weaponry and armor.

Some of their archers had now become sharpshooters with fully bolt-action rifles, many of the children of the late Ares/Mars carried re-enforced Desert Eagles with Greek fire rounds, and even short range communication sets had all come along thanks to Leo with the support of Hephaestus to push things along. She had added her support to moving past the more traditional methods as well. All in all, with the increase in numbers and exponential advancement in warfare tools, the demigods have never been stronger, and through their sacrifices/prayers, the gods have become stronger as well.

Athena kept scanning over the demigods she passed before heading to the lead ship with her father already on board. Behind him stood Hera in armor much like Athena's own but with a girdle similar to that of the Amazons and her helm using peacock plums. Behind them Athena could see Leo already at the control panel farther back on the ship. She glanced to thee two adjoining ships, the second with Hephaestus at the panel and Hermes looking over his shoulder out of curiosity while Apollo stood near the main mast as his gaze followed his own chariot with the sunrise.

She gave those that looked at her nods before she moved to the third ship since she was the pilot. Even with the advanced mainframes and controls coming from Festus Beta, Gamma, and Omega, much of that programming was to manage the internal functions of the ship along with combat while Leo left programming for travel and take-off on bare minimums such as setting steady courses and keeping the ships stable in case of iffy drivers. Demigods were already beginning to board the ships and proceed to the quarters beneath, leaving her a little irritated that she failed to get up as early. Those damn visions were really starting to be a nuisance.

"Sister," Artemis addressed her curtly as she walked up the plank to the Argo V, her newest named lieutenant Aria at her side.

"Artemis," Athena replied as she walked past her and towards the control panel, her sister and daughter following closely behind. "Are all yours already on board?"

"Yes," Artemis replied as they arrived to the panel and Athena began the initiation sequence while listening to Festus Omega use clicks and beeps to communicate in Morse Code to her. "Bellona has already joined on father's ship with her complete infantry group while yours was split between Hephaestus' ship and this one."

Athena nodded to that as she checked over the displays for the ship. Engine was at full capacity, weapons ready, hull stocked and full, and even a favorable weather report. All in all everything was looking good. She then looked up and across the field to the other ships, meeting the gazes of Hephaestus and Leo, getting agreeing nods from them. She then turned her gaze to her father, giving him a nod which he returned.

He then turned to address the crowds of civilian legacies and few reserve legionnaires remaining for the defense of the city. They along with Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Terminus, Chiron, and a multitude of minor gods were responsible for New Rome. Athena could feel the nervous tension amongst the crowd, some younger unable to fight yet, both demigod and legacies, watched on with either awe to see their heroes prepare for war or fear, wondering if they will come back.

"Lift off!" Zeus boomed with a crack of lightning above, making several jump in surprise before Athena turned the lever to activate the magical oars of the ship.

With a thrum of power the ships started to slowly ascend, the newly created solar sails engineered with the combined efforts of Leo, Apollo, and Annabeth flaring into golden hues as they caught the sunlight. As they ascended they could hear the calls of the crowd. Words of luck and encouragement, to make the demons pay, and such.

"It's finally time," Artemis murmured as she looked to the north, a steely glint in her eyes.

"Careful sister," Athena warned softly as she too looked north. "I don't know whether Umbra and his lot are demons or angels or what have you but you cannot forget that they are dangerous. We need to stick together and work as one … or we will be destroyed."

Artemis met her gaze, the anger still prevalent but she gave a slow nod even as the grip on her newly forged daggers since the attack on her Hunt. Athena looked away after a few minutes as well, noticing that the three ships were already well into the thousand foot height they steered to the north east and over the Rocky Mountains. Flashes of golden light to the sides made her look to see nearly a hundred chariots being pulled by all manner of blessed creatures, each chariot holding two or three minor gods accompanying them to battle.

"I dare say this will be a war unlike any we've had before," Athena murmured as she returned her attention to the front of the ship, the bronze plating gleaming in the morning light as they sailed to the strong hold of demons…

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 **How was that? Hope everyone enjoyed that and let me know what you thought! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	32. Legends Revealed

**Author's Note: Yo! Everyone back and excited for this chapter? Good. I took to heart about not entirely focusing on just fighting for a single chapter so hopefully more enjoy it as a whole.**

 **Note: I know some people have asked what's going to be Annabeth's punishment and the thing is, what punishment? She hasn't actually committed any sort of crime. Yeah, she cheated and didn't own up to it, not cool, but at the moment she is simply an Olympian affiliated goddess and therefore enemy but not someone getting some carefully thought out punishment or even at risk of losing her immortality.**

 **Disclaimer: I own plot.**

* * *

 **Later That Evening**

"Are we descending soon?"

Annabeth took her eyes of the darkening horizons as she glanced to address Artemis, the goddess keeping her gaze due north.

"Mother said it would be best to land as soon as possible," she agreed as she looked to the same direction as Artemis.

With every mile they moved and the closer they got she could literally feel the pulse of power emanating from the north. Like a massive heart beating a steady rhythm that almost felt like the impending war drum to the young goddess' ear. Both goddesses remained silent from there on as the approached a large forest clearing with the view of several splotches of lakes beneath.

"Superior National Forest," Artemis commented with a hint of approval in her voice.

"Visit frequently?" Annabeth asked as she looked across to the two other ships.

"Game is low but monsters seem to be plentiful in the area on occasion. Mostly a few fraction packs left by Lycaon to manage the territory, sometimes a cyclops or two, and a few run-ins with the Namean Lion. We shouldn't have any worries though, no monster is dumb enough to attack with so many gods nearby."

As to prove her point she tilted her head around them and Annabeth had to agree. Floating to their sides and above where the chariots of the minor gods and such fighting with them. Though they didn't seem as tense as before with their departure many still kept eyes peeled to their surroundings as the light began to fall with Apollo's chariot. Already the overhead sky was a dark crimson and slowly pushing into the realms of purple as night was setting in.

She glanced across the deck to see some demigod sentries moving about, some huddled around the railings or simply on deck to avoid getting stir-crazy. Several hundred ADHD demigods in one relatively snug space with little to do at the moment tended to increase agitation but the open spaces of the decks worked well for that. There had even been some spars and such to the function of entertainment and keeping everyone in decently high spirits. Lunch in the skies had been interesting with the demigods having gotten used to dinning with the gods in recent weeks.

It brought a small sense of nostalgia to Annabeth. Over the last decade most of her social meals had been limited to her temple of residence with her husband, visiting mother, or on occasion meetings with Leo and Calypso whenever they visited the mountain. Over the last few weeks she'd actually gotten to know all the newest additions to her mother's cabin during the decade she was gone and she managed to reconnect with several of her siblings. It also made her a little sad with the slightest hint of guilt for not visiting the camp more often but she resolved to do that when this was all said and over.

But then that brought her to the present and the admittedly daunting task ahead. They were going to war with apparent demons of some sort, as incredulous as she initially was, and without any form of guidance. Never before had she truly realized how dependent they had grown on prophecies to even try to decipher what to do. Any and all attempts at communications with the Fates had been met with failure and neither Apollo nor Rachel had been able to get anything cohesive whatsoever.

That lead to some private thoughts on the possibility that the Fates may have been cut off and captured or had simply left Olympus to its-pun not intended-fate. The question is which option was more terrifying? It also left it in a somewhat novel experience, trying to create genuine plans of their own, without any set factors to consider and such. Of course, that still lead the dilemma of what exactly were they facing or how could they defeat them?

Every time she wondered on the subject she was pulled back to the image presented when Artemis was recovered. The view of Umbra, his icy blue eyes within the writhing black flames and face hidden in darkness set all kinds of alarms off in her head. But there was also something … more. Like a very vague sense of familiarity within or around Umbra that she simply could not place. She couldn't recall anyone that had such an imposing presence even in a second hand image and she certainly didn't know anyone that carried such a sense of danger to them and yet she felt like she should! She knew gods had several forms of non-traditional senses, being able to feel the world through their elevated consciousness, and sometimes they just 'knew' something that they themselves couldn't really explain.

And this Umbra set that sense off to the point it was messing with her sleep! And it didn't seem like it was only limited to her either. Sure, she knew several gods had been getting restless nights as they could all feel the shift in the world around them, like a balance that just got tipped just barely enough for them to notice but not really tell where it was going or if it could be stopped. She even been shocked to feel a marginal increase in the strength of prayers she'd been receiving, mainly from anyone engaged in the formation and construction of architecture and hoping things would been seen through.

She didn't even know regular mortal prayers actually came to them and it seemed like a pleasant surprise to some of the gods who'd thought their power had been waning and only just starting to increase with the increases in demigods. At least that had been some positive result with the fall-out that angel created in Cordoba, causing even the most stoic of non-believers to have the occasional wish or silent thought that could count as prayer.

She shook her head of those thoughts as she felt the shift of the ship as it began a more noticeable decline. She glanced back to see her mother at the steering panel, listening to Festus Omega's report of stability and location as the other ships. She breathed slowly as she adjusted against the railing, her breath misting over as she rubbed her arms to stave off the incoming cold.

Wait … cold?

She suddenly straightened as she noticed the wind picking up and shared a look with Artemis, the goddess having also noticed the change in temperature.

 **Crack!**

Both goddesses jumped with the flash of lighting that just barely missed the ship as the gentle breezes turned into a roaring blast of air. Annabeth hunkered down as she felt the pelting of freezing rain, looking around as Artemis and any demigod on the deck made grabs for ropes along the railings. Soon an alarm sounded all along the Argo V and Annabeth could hear the other ships following as the calls of the minor gods on their chariots followed.

"What's happening?" Artemis' lieutenant, Aria, asked as she ran up to them with her bow drawn and pony-tail flapping wildly in the wind.

"Not sure," Artemis replied as she flagged down one of the chariots hanging off their starboard side.

"My lady," the accompanying god saluted while the driver tried to reign in the oxen currently kicking at the front.

"Have the chariots set down quickly, we need someone on the ground to help pull the Argos down while the drivers focus on keeping the ships stable," Artemis instructed while gesturing to Athena as the goddess went wild with the controls and Festus Omega adding his own mayhem and just to prove her point, the ship suddenly listed to the side with a sudden blast of wind.

Annabeth saw other chariots pulling in closer to the Argo III and IV as well with commands being barked by Leo and Hephaestus and demigods running around on the decks. Another crack of lightning flashed as some ducked, the bolt having gone dangerously close to taking the main mast of the Argo III but it seemed that Zeus managed to deflect it away in time. She squinted as she wiped away the stinging rain and keep her footing on the slippery deck, her helm not helping at all in these conditions.

Suddenly there was a scream of pure terror and nearly everyone stopped to look at the head of the Argo V with one of Artemis' remaining hunters shaking like a leaf and pointing ahead of them. They all turned and stopped cold at the sight. Just before them, as if completely ignoring the sudden storm, was Umbra. His wings extended and literally radiating a miasma of darkness, a couple hundred or so feet in front of the three vessels and their escorts with his hood pulled up and those damned eyes glowing within the shadows.

At that moment Annabeth really had to give it to Artemis for not breaking down the first time she was in the demon's presence. Even from the distance Annabeth could tell that several gods and demigods were shaking just from being in the presence of that being. Every instinct in Annabeth was telling her to turn tail, to run as quickly as she could because before Umbra she was little more than prey, that he was the most dangerous thing here by a long shot.

"Umbra," Artemis growled beside her with so much venom that Annabeth flinched but still willed her sword to appear in hand as she focused on Umbra.

A silence seemed to have fallen over the entire area as all three ships loaded with demigods on deck and the chariots with their drivers focused on the source of all their current troubles. Umbra just looked back at them impassively, his arms crossed as the temperature seemed to get colder with the sun finally setting. She could practically taste the fear and tension in the air as all looked up Umbra for the first time.

" **You would do well to remember** ," Umbra began, his voice carrying low and husky with an underlying growl that made many shudder for varying reasons. " **That we offered neutrality to those that didn't try to fight us. For demigods, this offer stands until you've already been cut down. Turn back, go home to your families, and leave a war that has nothing to do with you. Only your remaining Olympians need fear us**."

There was a tense murmur going throughout the demigods at his words and Annabeth could see some seriously considering it judging by their faces. The fear of death in this battle, the wish to remain at peace, and the very sight of Umbra was shaking their resolve.

"Lies!" Zeus boomed aboard the Argo III, his master bolt crackling within his grip as he glowed golden in his rage. "You are nothing more than the next monsters needing to be destroyed and banished to Tartarus! Not only do you go against the throne but you've even revealed us to the mortals. To follow you is to bring chaos itself to this world!"

Zeus's words got some agreeing murmurs as more demigods leveled their weapons and gazes on Umbra, even though the demon didn't look bothered at all, instead his attention focused on Zeus with his eyes become more frigid if that was possible. The stare off continued until Umbra shifted, his right hand almost lazily setting on the left of the two hilts at his hips. Somehow they could all hear the sword being drawn, another icy chill going down Annabeth's spine as a katana of all things came into view. It radiated the very same darkness as his wings but there was more, almost like a hunger coming from the sword as well.

" **I hope each of you comes to terms with your choice** ," Umbra said almost softly as he held the sword at his side.

"Begone!" Zeus nearly roared as he thrust his master bolt forward.

An explosion of lighting raced from the tip towards Umbra, covering the space so quickly that even with her godly eyes she barely tracked it but just before it could hit Umbra there was another blur. Annabeth's jaw dropped as another angel or whatever they were suddenly appeared before Umbra and _caught_ the bolt almost lazily. The yellow bolt then condensed into an orb within the hand of this new one before it crushed the attack with little more than a spark of fanfare.

Everyone was at a loss again as they took in the sight of this new angel. At first glance it was obviously female with the sort of curves to put most goddesses to shame. Dressed in a dark grey chiton that cut off at the mid-thigh, a sleeved coat with the hood drawn up also hiding her face in shadows aside from the glowing dark blue eyes and long braided, black hair reaching near her waist. ' _Is that grey lightning in her eyes!?'_ Annabeth thought in shock as she narrowed her eyes to try and see better. What's more her legs were covered in some sort of knee-high boots that seemed to be made of oddly colored wind and blue lightning soles.

During her observations the angel gently glided to Umbra's side as a bow made of some sort of glowing white metal appeared in her hands with a draw string made of lightning as well. Just looking at that bow gave Annabeth all kinds of warning signs but that didn't seem to be all of it as _another_ one appeared and this one Annabeth could definitely call demonic.

While Umbra had raven-like wings of darkness and the female had grey ones with blue lighting crackling through it, this new one looked like he came from the Pit. Large black trench with hood pulled up to display glowing red eyes and mostly black leather clothes. However, it was the wings made of black-charred bone and red torn membranes with purple fire that really got the attention. Oh, and he had a huge claymore held over his shoulders made of a purely black metal and red runes running the length.

" **Are you truly sure you want to fight?** " Umbra asked as he leaned forward and all got into position, the angel holding her bow at the ready with a bolt of lightning already drawn and the hellish angel hefting his claymore.

"We have no reason to believe you!" a minor god shouted from his chariot, his bronzed helm hiding his face so Annabeth couldn't identify him.

" **Really now?** " Umbra asked as his free hand went up to his hood. " **Not even if I us** ed to be one myself?" he asked, his voice still retaining the depth and growl but now far more … human.

Several shocked gasps followed as Umbra raised his head again, this time without the hood to reveal a face she once knew. Wild raven hair nearly reaching the back of his neck with new, icy blue tips. A lighter tan and well-set jaw. And the new eyes formed of writhing black flames with icy blue pupils looking at them with an otherworldly air but at the base it was someone she recognized.

"P-Percy?" she asked, her voice carrying unusually well for all to hear as the younger demigods came up short at the sight.

His eyes found hers and she suddenly felt as if she'd been slugged in the gut. His eyes looked at her with a resigned sadness and hint of anger. It made her feel both dejected and guilty so she turned her gaze away, unable to meet his eyes and the feelings they brought to her even as she took a shuddering breath. She instead looked at the other angels only to have her throat catch.

They had changed just like Percy but she recognized them. Thalia and Nico were also looking down on them and she could hear Artemis actually stumble back as if she'd been struck by the acidic look directed at her from her former lieutenant while Nico almost looked bored with them.

"I guess a reintroduction is in order," Percy said in a near amused voice as his cold eyes drifted over the shocked demigods and gods alike. "Hello, my name is Perseus Jackson, _Primordial God_ of Darkness, Shadows, Night, and Cold, the Lord of Wolves, as well as king of the new Primordial Council," he stated while radiating a near sinister darkness around him, his sword in hand pointed at Zeus as he pinned the Olympian king under a frigid glare. "And I am the executioner of the Olympians."

As he said that Annabeth could only shake her head, unable to match what she was seeing with what she knew. This wasn't Percy. Her unfortunately ex-boyfriend, the savior of Olympus twice over, greatest demigod in near millennia, the hero that set the precedent for an entirely new generation. Yet that once warm and familiar aura around him was gone as well as that near naïve kindness with just a bit of temper was missing. Now was a steely sight, with a cold anger and palpable bloodlust in it when looking at Zeus or Artemis. And that was without adding his claim to be a primordial god off all things. Just that alone brought up dozens of questions and he didn't seem to be in the mood to answer any of them.

"Just to clear things up," Thalia spoke up as she keep a level glare on the god that she once called father. "I'm Thalia Grace, former lieutenant of the Hunt and now Primordial Goddess of the Sky and Storms."

"Nico di Angelo," Nico picked up as his dark crimson eyes scanned the demigods. "Primordial God of the Pit, Evil, and Judgement," he said, the aura of sheer malevolence causing demigods to back up with just a look at him.

 _'_ _B-but that isn't possible!'_ she screamed as she kept switching her gaze between the three, unable to add up their claims or how it could be true. She knew of the other primordial beings, the elder siblings of Gaea and Uranus, beings that were _stronger_ than them. To be brazen enough to make such claims, it was nothing short of blasphemy and practically suicide. Hell, she'd met Nyx, and she didn't even want to think what would happen if that particular goddess appeared on this plain rather than stay in the Pit. A quick glance around showed her that she wasn't the only one having a mild breakdown as the reality they knew was hit with the metaphorical sledgehammer.

Tense silence then filled the skies again as the rain buffeted them, seemingly ignoring the three winged beings. Then, another crack of lightning passed right between the former demigods and the ships before all three blasted into motion. Annabeth could barely gasp before the three were on top of them, each rapidly attacking what was in their vicinity. Annabeth blinked just as Percy appeared between two chariots and spun around, cutting the actual chariots themselves in half as his wings struck out, knocking over the six minor gods that had been on them before he dived under the arrow fire of the closest ship.

Thalia raced over the Argo III, easily weaving past any lightning bolts tossed at her by her enraged father. The rest of the chariots and demigods got into motion, firing at the three beings as they moved about. Nico landed on the Argo IV, lashing out with a kick at Apollo that the god managed to block. That did nothing for the actual hit though as her husband was sent flying into a crowd of demigods while Nico spun around, his massive claymore moving with surprising speed to swipe away some volleys of arrows.

"Hunters on Port side!" Artemis ordered as her new hunt set up quickly, ignoring the worsening storm around them as lightning crackled all around and the temperature dropped even more.

Annabeth wasn't sure what to do while being stuck in the air though so she quickly ran towards a ballista and got in, dropping her sword to the floor at her side as she took the controls. The sight was misted with the cold but she had to make due, even adjusting as the ships tilted in and out in the wind. She watched as some chariots gave chase but were ineffective at catching up. Percy moved like a living shadow, slipping in and out of reach while taking turns too sharp for the chariots to have any hope of following.

 **Boom!**

Annabeth jumped as she looked back to see a smoking crater on the deck with flecks of green fire and a burning corpse while other demigods shouted in alarm or grief. She looked across from them and saw a smoking ballista aimed their way as it tried to follow Percy.

"Hold, friendly fire!" she shouted, hoping whatever fool was in the other ballista would hear her. Sadly it seemed that whoever it was, was too panicked to hear or think on it.

She watched as another bolt of Greek fire was shot at them, this time coming towards a cluster of hunters trying to shoot at Percy overhead between the two ships.

"Watch out!" she shouted as the bolt closed in.

Suddenly in a blur of motion her mother appeared before the bolt, her shield already primed. The bolt exploded against the shield as Athena grunted from the hit but suddenly she stopped as if her feet had found solid purchase in mid-air.

"What the Hades," she muttered to herself, having never seen her mother simply stand in mid-air.

A few other demigods seemed to notice and stare as well but Artemis didn't look surprised at all, instead launching pure silver light arrows at Percy. It didn't seem to bother him though as he either dodged or cut the arrows with his black katana, his second sword still sheathed away. Annabeth turned her sight away from him and instead focused on Thalia, the former huntress reigning havoc on the Argo III as she spun and weaved on the deck with several gods and demigods surrounding her.

She simply ignored the demigods though, using her wings to block any arrows or occasional spear thrusts as she moved between Hera of all gods and another two minor ones attacking her in tandem. Zeus was preoccupied at the steering panel with Hephaestus, swinging his hands at each new bolt that kept raining down from the storm clouds above them and just barely managing to divert them away from the ships. The chariots weren't so lucky though as several got shot right out of the skies and plummeted in heaps of smoke and unconscious gods.

The Argo IV wasn't having a much better time as Hermes and Apollo were tag-teaming Nico but the former demigod was deceptively fast and skilled with such a large sword and working in tandem with his hellish wings, using them for both defense and offense. She jerked her head up though as another loud crash of metal turned her attention above only to see both Artemis and Athena stepping on plain air as they crossed swords with Percy having forced him to draw his second blade.

It was almost like a lethal dance as the three moved against each other, Percy flying as if he was born in the skies as Athena and Artemis seamlessly used their apparent ability to walk on any surface to maneuver around him in ways ground combat simply wouldn't allow. Athena moved with swift thrusts of her spears, using the added length to make up for every time she was forced to block one of Percy's blows that would force her back several meters. Artemis for her part was on a near savage offensive, her snarl clear on her face as she tried to rend apart Percy, the one who killed so many of her Hunt.

The chariots were hanging over the decks with minor gods waiting for openings to either jump in or shoot from a distance while trying to resist the vicious winds around them and the random bolts that would rain down.

"Spears at the ready!" she heard called overhead and she looked up in time to see nearly ten chariots lined up with each of the two minor gods aside from the drivers with bronze or golden spears held in throwing positions.

Not a moment later both Artemis and Athena attacked in tandem, forcing Percy higher as he blocked several stabs.

"Release!" came the order from Phobos in his bloody red armor.

With supernatural strength the gods let loose, each spear flying as if fired from canons rather than thrown. Much to her surprise and shock Percy was ready, both swords blurring in motion as he blocked, deflected and spun around each and every spear without a single change in his face. Then, without pause, he slashed at the air in front of him and with each swing launched an arc of pitch black fire at the chariots. They moved just as fast as the spears but the chariots were far less agile as several of the black fire blades cut and exploded on impact to the screams of the minor gods.

Many fell off their chariots, some onto the deck of the Argo V as other fell to the earth below and coated in the black fire. Several of those that fell onto the ship started spreading the black fire and catching the unfortunate demigods closest to them erupting in more screams like Deimos had back when he cut himself with Riptide. However it seemed that Percy noticed and looked their way, the black fires on the ships snuffing out but leaving the gods that had fallen to burn.

"Damn you Jackson!" Artemis roared as she charged again, this time in her godly form and standing at fifteen feet.

"Huntress," Percy spat as he blocked both of her knives, his attention now focused solely on her. He then spun around as he backed up with Artemis lurching forward from the sudden absence of resistance.

However she wasn't quick enough to block his back kick that caught her straight in the gut and launched her back until she plowed into the side of the Argo IV. The demigods on board shouted in alarm as the ship listed from the blow, part of the hull crumpling under the oversized goddess as she shook her head and started to pry herself out of it. Annabeth had been about to try and summon her own spears to throw given that the ballista might chance and hit her mother that was currently also in her godly form and fighting Percy above them.

However she was stopped as she almost tripped from another rough gale and Festus Omega going hysterical as he beeped and clicked. Her Morse Code was a little off but the general gist was the ship's engine was being overworked between the storm pushing it in every direction and trying to remain stable enough to maintain combat. Clicking her teeth she ran to the control panel, jumping over a few demigods trying to assist a badly burned god, his arm having broken off at shoulder and part of his face rapidly losing the black, flaking skin.

Ignoring the grisly sight she arrived at the controls and tried to see how to stabilize it but what she found didn't look good. The storm they were in was all kinds of wrong, the random winds being too strong and sudden while pulling at the ship in every direction. It was a miracle that their oars hadn't been torn off yet but it wasn't looking good. She knew she had to override the last command Athena left and begin the ships descent rather than try and maintain their positon, otherwise they would risk a burnout and fall regardless.

"Omega, override last command and give me control! Try to keep the deck stable," she ordered as she began the descent while ignoring how the rain kept stinging at her eyes.

She heard the groaning of the main mast and looked up to see part of the sails beginning to tear in the violent storm, making her curse under her breath as she looked to the nearest group of demigods which happened to include Clarisse and several Ares campers.

"Clarisse, the sails!" she called, getting her attention just long enough for her to take hate-filled eyes off Percy as he continued to fight Athena and Artemis.

"Move!" Clarisse ordered with a sharp nod, the squad moving together as vets and closing the distance to the mast.

She returned her attention to the controls, monitoring their height and stability as they dropped under the thousand foot mark.

"Lady Athena, watch out!" someone shouted making Annabeth look again.

She saw her mother some meters back and above Artemis and Percy, sporting a busted lip and long cut down her left thigh. Just behind her there was a blur of purple and Annabeth's eyes widened as yet another angel or apparently god like Percy was coming in. Athena turned in time to see said being slam feet first into her gut making her cough ichor as the pair stuck together, plummeting at an angle. They clipped the edge of the ship's deck, tearing clean through the reinforced bronze plating, and continued on towards the ground and out of view.

"Mother!" Annabeth called, momentarily forgetting about the controls as she ran to the side but couldn't see past the darkness.

She was trying to sense the location of her mother in order to flash towards her but felt an abrupt barrier come up around them, completely erasing Athena's signature. The ship then shook under her as Omega started even more alarming sirens and she looked to see that Artemis had crashed dead center of the ship's deck though miraculously not crushing any demigods underneath her. She looked up to see Percy scowling down at the goddess, his swords at the ready.

She felt anger bubble up within her as she looked at him, questioning why he was doing this. Why had he disappeared, how had he gotten so powerful, and what was his goal? All those questions boiled within her as Percy landed at the very tip of the ship, right on Festus Omega's head much to the automaton's indignation. She summoned her sword and shield to her after leaving the panel with the order to continue the descent and one of her siblings to keep watch.

She stalked forward, rising to her godly height, a mere ten feet to Artemis' fifteen, both armed and looked at Percy wearily as he hopped down from the dragon head and landed on the deck. The closest demigods backed up with weapons ready, all looking at him nervously but he didn't take his eyes off Artemis, the blatant hatred in his eyes giving her pause for a moment. He didn't say anything, only bending his knees slightly as he snarled, his fangs and glowing eyes giving him quite the fearsome image before he rushed forward in a burst of speed, his swords at the ready…

* * *

 **Athena**

Pain and disorientation was all she knew at the moment. She felt as the feet slammed into her gut with enough force to turn a tank into a pancake, grunted as her back clipped the edge of the Argo V and continued on for who knows how long, only to make a rather close impression of the Cordoba incident as she plowed through trees, hills, and finally ended at the edge of a small lake. At some point the feet has left contact but even then she was numbly aware that her breastplate was crumpled against her gut, making it harder to breathe.

She tried to straighten her vision out, idly noting the lake was almost completely evaporate and the smell of burnt fish and soil filled her nose. She groaned as she rolled over and slowly stood on shaky legs, noting the feeling the barrier around her. It took her a moment but she identified the purpose, mainly being that to hide her presence and to prevent flashing, otherwise it was rather simple with no apparent anchor meaning a god was maintaining it somewhere.

She looked around herself, not seeing anything out of place but still kept her wits about her. The breastplate was bugging her but she couldn't risk removing it without exposing herself, either in the process or simply being more vulnerable without the token protection of the damaged armor. At least she'd managed to retain her spear and shield if barely in her grip, though the fall had seriously jarred her shield arm.

She slowly walked as she scanned around, her eyes narrowing as she started to notice slight similarities, vague as they were, to her recurring visions and she could just barely make out the sound of falling water. Also there was a lingering presence of sorts, one that felt oddly familiar but at the same time distorted that kept nagging at the back of her head. Aside from the water and the retreating steam of the lake she'd landed in there was no noise. It was as if the forest around was very aware of the dangerous beings present and had decided to play as dead as possible in hopes of avoiding attention.

She walked alone for a few minutes, her grip tightened on her spear as she loomed over the terrain, having decided that staying at godly form was the best bet. Honestly it stung that she wasn't even able to so much as push back Percy _with_ Artemis assisting her and both having gone to godly size. She swore his reflexes and speed to make use of it was utterly ridiculous. Where she would see an opening she would attack only for him to move to the point of near blurring and guard before countering. His offensive was something else too, each hit making her bones start to scream in protest at even the thought of blocking. And when that blade cut … if she didn't have so much discipline she would have cried and screamed to high heaven in pain.

It was so _cold_ , yet it utterly burned as well. She could only say her thanks that the blades didn't seem to carry the freezing curse Riptide did, or he didn't consider them dangerous enough to use it which stung her pride more. At least her numerous small cuts and the large one running the length of her left thigh didn't bleed much at all and it numbed out after a while. Just thinking about that short but vicious exchange had her hands trembling and he was only one of them. She'd only caught glimpses at the other ships but it seemed that she wasn't the only one being smacked around with contemptuous ease.

And yet, she was surprised, if a little relieved as ironic as it was, that she could tell he had been holding back as were Artemis and herself. She'd seen how he carefully noted just where were the demigods whenever he kicked them closer to a ship and luckily Artemis had kept enough presence of mind to restrict herself to. Otherwise the Argo's would have been crushed in the proximity if any god went up to divine level. She was broken out of her thoughts however as she heard the clear sound of a small waterfall and the presence she been closing in on became more defined.

Images from her visions started to overlap, certain and seemingly random paths through the trees as she noticed a small river to her right. She even glanced up and noticed that the storm wasn't around her immediate area but localized a significant distance away to the south. Just how hard had she been hit? Still she pressed on to find the presence, her senses recalling where she'd felt this before. The smoky smell of a campfire, the gentle, if weak, warmth that seemed to hang low in air itself but also what was entirely new in the mix. Something bestial was here as well, and powerful at that giving her a slight impression of the missing dragon, Ladon.

She raised her guard more as she slowed to a near stalk, pushing aside the low hung trees with her shield as she came into a slight clearing and gasped. There, directly under the small waterfall, if it could be called that considering the small hill with the smaller channel spilling from it and into the larger river, was Hestia. She looked miserable, her hair and ripped up chiton hugging her trembling body. Her lips were about as blue as a god's could get and her aura seemed weak, constantly being drained with the waters that even now gave off a cool mist, counteracting the warmth of Hestia. Suspended above her head, her wrists were shackled in celestial bronze and connected to a pike driven directly into the rock around behind her.

"Hestia!" Athena shouted in alarm, almost dropping her spear as she ran forward towards the captured goddess, shrinking back down to mortal form as she did so.

Said goddess looked up weakly, her usually bright amber eyes dimming even now as her chattering mouth formed a thin smile.

"A-Athe-na …" Hestia mumbled as she tried to move slightly only to wince and Athena could see the shackles biting into her skin.

"Hold on," Athena muttered as she threw down her shield and with precision, thrust her spear at the joining point between the chains of the shackles and the pike, completely ignoring as the near freezing waters splashed on her as well.

The spear edge scrapped the divine metal but it held firm making Athena growl lowly.

"I'm getting you out of here," Athena grit out as she thrust again and again, at times making bigger grooves and slowly wearing away at the metal.

"G-get … out. R-r-run," Hestia replied as she blinked away the chilling water constantly running over her head and face.

"Not without you," Athena bit back as she glanced around for a moment.

Last thing she needed was another so called primordial god or angel or what have you getting the drop on her. Seeing nothing she returned to trying to liberate her aunt. Honestly it had been weighing heavily on her mind ever since Hestia had been taken a few months back. It left Athena with too much time on her hands thinking about everything that had happened between Hestia and several members of the council. The damn day that she did nothing to try and understand Hestia, and then remained, though admittedly shocked, in silence after Poseidon struck her.

They'd always had points that they simply agreed to disagree on, mostly centered on how they viewed the mortals and what to expect of them. How couldn't they, especially when from time to time she and Hestia contemplated the changes of the eras and the demigods progressed or more like survived for millennia until this turn of the century with the strongest generation since the great Roman Empire or Greece. But then again, it also boiled down to simply missing one of her closest friends, someone she once spent a great deal of time with simply sharing in each other's presence.

With Hestia gone all it had done was make Athena feel guiltier about every instance of forgetting her, usually to the background during times of stress and change. Then, watching as the aunt she loved as she was pulled away in the shadows, after a decade of deliberately withdrawing from the goings of the council, had struck Athena hard. But now, having the chance to finally rescue her, to bring her home. Athena wasn't going to let this moment slip by.

With that thought she drove the spear forward one last time, watching in satisfaction as the chain link snapped. Like a string-less puppet Hestia fell into Athena's waiting arms. The goddess flinched at how cold her aunt felt, still shivering as she hugged Athena back weakly. Athena couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face as she pulled the elder goddess up. However, before she could get a good grip to properly carry the weak goddess Athena heard a twig snap behind her.

She managed to moved Hestia to her side and out of the cold puddle they'd been standing in, away from the chilling waterfall as Athena's eyes locked on to the approaching figure. It was the same one that had slammed into her, a rather busty woman with long, deep brown hair and lavender tips. Her eyes, also a bright lavender turning to near pink at the ring of the pupils, fair skin and dressed in a provocative corset and plaid skirt with knee-high leather boots, her dark purple wings folded closely behind her. However, what Athena focused on most were the twin, foot-long knives held in her hands that carried an aura of power similar in scale to the likes of Percy's swords.

"Great, another one," Athena nearly growled as she gently set Hestia down to grip her spear with both hands. "And who or what are you?" she asked, wondering if yet another stranger was going to claim the place of a god.

"Introductions will have to wait until later," she replied in a soft, near musical voice even as it held a slight edge to it. "I'm sorry about this, but I can't let you get away with her," the god (?) continued with a gesture towards the nearly unresponsive Hestia.

"You can try," Athena countered as she readied her spear. "But I will get pa—"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the angel woman closed the distance in a split second, both knives slamming down viciously on the shaft of Athena's spear to the point the goddess' knees almost gave out. She grit her teeth as she glared at the neutral face of the woman, tried to draw in more of her power to add strength. It was slow going though, even as her skin gained a golden hue as she felt only a marginal increase in power but her body seemed to respond less than usual.

It was in fact getting numb, the cold… Her eyes widened as she glanced back to the waterfall, the mist coming off it still churning around them. Only now did Athena truly realize how cold she was, her teeth trying to chatter as her fingers and toes gave a dull ache, barely being countered by the divine aura coursing through her. Even the tip of her spear was sporting frost

"Noticed the effects of the fall have you," the woman commented just before Athena felt her increase the pressure to the point her odd knives were in fact biting into the metal of the shaft.

Athena's mind went into overdrive as she thought a way to get out of this. Hestia was too weak and barely conscious behind her meaning that if Athena gave any opening, it was possibly this angel woman could possibly get to her, to either strike her down or take her again. Athena also considered assuming divine form but with her body already weakening from the cold, she would be a sitting duck for a precious few seconds which could again be used to attack her or Hestia, not to mention the force of the release would knock Hestia's body away, again leaving the weak goddess exposed.

Even if she managed to knock the angel back and grab Hestia, she'd need to run out of the boundary of the simple yet severely powered barrier, knowing that she currently didn't even have the strength to consider forcing her way through it after assuming godly form and accumulating injuries while fighting Percy, least of all considering the draining effects of the freezing waterfall. All her thoughts were running so rampant she barely heard the clinking of metal links behind her.

She noticed as the angel woman glanced past her, a faint and grim smile on her face that confused Athena joined with a sudden spike in heat behind her. Against her better judgment she took her eyes of the current opponent dead-locking her, she glanced back to see eyes filled with crimson fire and narrowed pupils before a fist encrusted in scaled patterned like rubies appeared. Athena couldn't even utter a sound as the fist slammed into her at the same moment that the force in front of her suddenly gave out.

She sworn she heard part of her skull fracturing as she was blown off her feet. Her body limply plowed through trees and skipped along the ground before she finally stopped, crashing into another hill. Her body was plastered into the hillside, blowing away the soft layers of dirt and grass to meet unforgiving rock as she felt her consciousness slipping. In the darkening haze she looked back, just barely making out the form of Hestia … with crimson wings…

* * *

 **And getting blindsided, yay! Next chapter wraps up the attack and begins the next phase of sorts in relation to the mortals and a few godly interactions. Hope everyone enjoyed and is excited for next week!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	33. Questions Abound

**Yet another chapter for you all! Wrap ups only to start something new and for the hunger of you all! More tension, feels, and reveals along the way! Hope everyone enjoys and let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

She ducked as something flew over her head, the damn storm and rain around her giving her little time to see whatever it was. Granted, the sheer scream of agony that followed definitely told her it was someone being grievously injured. She idly glanced back, momentarily looking away from the controls of the Argo V and nearly gagged.

Yep, someone's severed arm still dripping ichor.

She looked back in the direction of the fight, if she could even call it that. She watched as Percy held off both Artemis and Bellona, who'd joined in right as Annabeth was forced out of combat while any minor god that got a chance took a dive at him. That last one that lost the arm and currently dragged away from the center of that disaster was still screaming bloody murder even as some demigods tried to perform emergency first aid. Several demigods had also been knocked out in their attempts to attack, and worryingly enough, some of which from accidental hits delivered by Artemis or Bellona, more the former, which was _not_ making things better for them. And all the while Percy hadn't made so much as a peep, just looking with a mix of cold disdain and ambiguously malevolence, though whether directed specifically at the two goddesses fighting him or everyone in general was up for debate.

She was broken out of her thoughts though as Festus Omega clicked and beeped before the entire ship abruptly shuddered in a rather rough landing with the ground. At least that removed the whole listing from side to side with the storm even if the deck was still swamped with the ridiculously cold rain. She looked off to her right and spotted the Argo III just as it basically crashed nose leading slightly into the ground close by, with Thalia having literally curb stomped Hera in the gut and tugging down the whole ship with it. She grimaced thought as Hera released a scream, the bottom of Thalia's odd boots releasing a hefty voltage.

Then she jumped up and away, using her wings to gain some altitude when Zeus rushed her though, his master bolt crackling as he arrived beside Hera with a furious snarl. Thalia didn't even look bothered by it, clear disgust shining through her eyes as she regarded the god that she once called father. They remained in a stare off, one high above as Zeus and the minor gods who'd been trying to help him stood at the ready even if Annabeth could feel their growing hesitation to face her.

She then looked past her as the Argo IV also managed to land though somewhat more smoothly, mostly because Nico had taken to the air above it again with Apollo chasing after. She was sure Hermes had been in that mix a few minutes ago but now she saw him being supported by one of his children with his left arm clearly broken, the trashed remains of a shattered shield barely attached to it. Apparently he'd tried to come around the back earlier and Nico had not been amused but at least it wasn't something irreparable. Seeing the injury made Annabeth glance down at her wounds.

Percy had been ruthless in his attack, his speed and mastery of both blades making his immediate vicinity a death zone. It stung at her pride, seeing how she was considered a _minor_ threat, his eyes often on Artemis solely. It was brutally painful, both metaphorically and physically, how he easily knocked her away with every attack he decided to direct at her. One swing of his sword send her almost careening back with her arms nearly giving out every time before she could get a second wind, and even then it wasn't enough.

And then that moment…

One second she was going to blindside him while he crossed his arms in a guard against Artemis before he suddenly kicked her away and spun on a dime to swing at her. Her sword and his other, the Viking one, had locked and he pulled up so close, even with their difference in height, him a mortal 6 foot 3, her crowning at a full 10 feet and still she felt like the smaller of the two. His face had been so close to hers, his admittedly handsome yet cold expression boring into her. For just a moment that coldness had dropped to be replaced with sadness, pity, and dare she say … longing.

It had made her pause, unsure of what was going on then and there but then he acted. Like a wolf deciding to end the hunt he attacked, his katana moving so quickly she actually saw the air and rain drops alike around it being cut. She disengaged the block with the Viking sword and moved to block the new assault, only to gape as his katana sliced through her celestial bronze sword made by Hephaestus himself leaving her with only one thought. ' _He really is a god … and one of both of those swords are symbols of power.'_ At that moment she knew only her own symbol of power would survive contact against his blades but she wasn't quick enough to summon it.

Her sword destroyed she moved her shield to block as the Viking sword was thrust forward within the span of half a second after the swing of the katana. She could claim that she was surprised, that it shouldn't have been possible, but she didn't even gasp in surprise as the Viking sword pierced through her shield … and her arm that had been holding it. She cried out in pain but stopped short as she saw the point continue on, closing in on her chest. Then, just as it made contact with her breastplate, it stopped dead.

Her own heart was beating furiously as she gave a shaky look to Percy, seeing his frigid eyes looking at her with that same underlying tone of sadness and his message was clear. 'I could have killed you, but I didn't.' She didn't have time to ask anything as he pulled his sword back, making her wince as it also left the flesh of her forearm retaining a cold, numbing sensation, before he kicked her shield effectively punting her all the way back to near the control panel and then for Bellona to jump in. That was what took her out of the fight and left her to focus on getting the ship safe, which it now was for the most part.

Now it seemed that the newly revealed primordial gods (she just couldn't deny their claim anymore) as Percy and Nico both jumped back from their fights and took to the air beside Thalia. She was actually surprised to see a few nicks a cuts on them, the sort that counted more as annoying papercuts whenever one of the attacking gods managed to come closer than most too actually hitting them. Nico sported one at the top of his right shoulder and another above his left knee, Thalia had a busted lip and a cut near her elbow, and Percy only had one along his cheek beneath his left eye.

Seeing that they could have been injured seemed to add some confidence to the Olympian forces however, with the lull in battle odd murmuring broke out at the sight of their blood. Rather than the golden ichor of the gods known, all three bleed silvery, near white ichor that reminded Annabeth of liquid platinum. At the moment she just added to an ever growing pile of questions she had about her newly revealed ex and just what the hell they were. Still, she wondered if they would attack again, hearing pistons firing and massive bay door on each Argo opening so the demigods under the decks could come out to actually help rather than be limited to the less than hundred per deck.

However, before anyone could make any move to instigate hostilities again there was a spike of heat coming from their right making several heads turn… only to gasp. There were two more of the winged gods, one with crimson wings formed of scales shaped into feather formations arrived at the side of Percy and the others. However, the moment anyone got a good look at her face, even with the burning crimson eyes and steaming tips of her hair, it could only be one goddess.

Hestia.

Like Percy she looked the similar to before but now there was a new air about her. Stronger, feral, dangerous … and primal. Hestia's gaze fell on her gawking siblings before she gave a fanged smile that likely caused some minor strokes, if gods could have strokes. Annabeth even heard several weapons dropped as the demigods looked on incredulously before the second winged goddess shifted slightly drawing attention to herself. Even in the raging storm she looked beautiful, with lavender eyes nearing a pink color closer to the center, deep purple wings, and a rather flattering skirt, leather boot, tight shirt, and corset combo. However, it what was in her arms that caused shock and alarm to flow through the Olympian ranks.

In the winged goddess' arms was her mother! Unconscious, shattered armor, and bleeding from a serious looking head-wound, not that the goddess holding her seemed to mind the ichor spilling onto her. The goddess holding her was shooting a disgusted look at none other than Artemis, occasionally passing over the other Olympians as well.

"A-Atalanta?" Artemis stammered within the silence, causing Annabeth's eyes to widen as she looked at the named Atalanta in a new light.

Atlanta, the kidnapped child of Artemis? So Percy had her all along and even made her a goddess too? But why!? However, before Annabeth could pursue a possible answer Atalanta's face turned sour with a scoff.

"My name is Andromeda Xena Jackson," the winged goddess returned. "Daughter of Sally and Paul Blofis, you know, my parents that you _killed_ and took me from!" she finished with a shout as Artemis recoiled as if slapped. "The little sister of Perseus Jackson, the Primordial Goddess of Love, Attraction, Procreation, and Desire."

Artemis didn't seem to know what to do with that as murmurs broke, several looking at her oddly with the claim of her murder and kidnapping of the family of the legendary hero. Annabeth especially noticed the three or four of Artemis' old Hunt looking confused as well so it stood to reason they didn't know about it. However, it seemed that Artemis didn't see the attention aimed on her as she then looked at Hestia with shock, her fists starting to tremble before she pointed a shaky finger at the previously missing goddess.

"Y-you … you're no longer a maiden," she said with a near choke, as if unable to comprehend the words themselves while any within earshot gasped.

Annabeth was shocked to see Hestia return a feral grin back at the quivering goddess before raising her left hand to display a ring. It looked to be made of white gold, a glowing ruby surrounded by miniature flames of emerald and obsidian.

"I would hope not," Hestia said as she hovered closer to Percy, griping his left hand that only now did Annabeth notice had a ring as well.

Like Hestia's it was white gold but had an obsidian with a glowing icy blue center, surrounded by two miniature wolf sculptures made of ruby and emerald.

"A reintroduction I suppose," Hestia hummed with a clear amusement in regards to the near catatonic Olympians and demigod forces. "I'm Hestia Jackson, Primordial Goddess of Fire, Hope, and Unity, the Lady of Dragons, and one of the queens of the Primordial Council," she stated with a friendly wave, completely disregarding the atmosphere and tension. "Oh, and by the way, who said I was taken against my will?" she added with eyes narrowing at her siblings, her crimson flaming eyes boring into them.

It made it even worse when Percy rolled his eyes and smirked before letting go of her hand and snaking that arm around the goddess' waist to bring her flush against him.

"As much fun as it's been to see you all," he said, the sarcasm evident in his voice as he shot one last venomous look at Artemis and Zeus. "But we'll be going now but remember…" he trailed off as all the other winged gods got closer to him, his raven wings suddenly expanding to nearly five times their original size. Almost soundlessly they closed around the entire group, before it all just dissolved into shadows and darkness, leaving the space clear as the storm suddenly ended to the shock of several demigods shouting after Athena.

" **Only the Olympians need fear us** ," came his voice from everywhere and nowhere, making several jump as they looked around wildly.

Then all mayhem seemed to break loose as everything finally registered. Athena gone, Hestia's apparent traitorous nature rather than forced kidnapping, Andromeda's revelations in regards to Artemis. Everything was simply spinning out of control and even with a godly mind Annabeth felt the headache coming in even as she vowed to figure out what was really going on. The one track mind to eliminate the Olympians explicitly meant there had to be some truth to Percy's claims against them and it was nothing but self-discipline and the need to carefully plan out her next steps that stopped Annabeth from trying to track and chase them down now to get to her mother.

She wasn't delusional enough to think she could get to Athena alone even if she was likely taken to the very same area the military force had been heading towards. All she could do now was heal, rest, and plan. Judging by the looks of the Argos, they wouldn't be heading out for a week at the least with the damages she could make out so it gave her time. Looking at the fuming remains of the Olympians, with the noted guilt and shame in the way Hephaestus slouched near his control panel told Annabeth that none of them would be forthcoming.

However, that didn't mean she would stop at that. She was very aware of two particular gods she could get to squeal for information, and considering one has caused a number of problems for Annabeth in the recent years of her marriage and previous love-lives, she was more inclined to meet _that_ disgraced goddess. With that plan set she nodded and moved to the demigod forces, trying to reign in her mother's squads with the assistance of Bellona before they could begin setting camp…

* * *

 **Raven, Same Time**

Raven hummed softly to herself as she walked around, enjoying the sights. The hustle and bustle as all sorts of mortals ran around with lights, microphones, cameras, and such. Luckily no one gawked too much at her too much aside from one intern that ran head first into a part of some castle set she'd passed. Poor boy spilled hot and overly expense coffee over himself. She took pity on him and had given a discreet wave, making the mess lessen to only a small stain before he could notice it. Considering the sun had just set, that would be far less noticeable until he could change shirts.

Well, at least that had been within her very limited divine abilities. Being a domain-less or wild goddess reduced what abilities she could use beyond typical immortals such as willing nectar and ambrosia into existence, increasing her size to match her full strength, flashing, and changing her clothes or appearance at will. All her other abilities were those inherited from her parents or focused through her role as her mother's guardian though her parents had mentioned possibly ascending her to a full god status after the war considering several positions and domains would be left available. At least being a guardian only at the moment left her free of a good deal of the Ancient Laws meant specifically for full gods.

After all, she didn't have a complete divine form but rather an odd, humanoid form of sentient energy, and she couldn't actually control her mother's domains, merely have a very high affinity and connection to them. That all essentially left her in a similar position to Lupa, another goddess who was never actually titled and completed by a deity linked to Fate or governing body. Lupa was a wolf goddess literally but not a goddess or Lady _of_ wolves. Of course, even if being incomplete goddesses left them significantly weaker and with slower recovery, then again, having the patronage of her parents for each of them still made them far more powerful than they should be otherwise, such as Lupa, Medusa, and Lamia each having the power to match Olympians.

Though, in the case of Raven herself her role of guardianship was taken with a far simpler oath that allows for release of service whereas Lupa, along with Medusa and Lamia were forever bound to Percy, meaning those three were still at a higher tier than Raven was in regards to power and ability. Although, it would be possible for the three to be ascended to a godhood as well but still permanently bonded to her father. Their relation aside, Raven was in Los Angeles for her own mission. While her father, mother, Uncle Nico, Aunty Thalia, and her step-mother, Hestia, were all up farther north and encountering the Olympians, Raven had another task as a guardian.

While it was the patron god's choice in the end, guardians could look into and recruit possible candidates to create a group for their task. Her mother had been hesitant to try and recruit mortals, unlike her father's wolves which gained from regular wolves or naturally born within the ranks, and considering the specifications of her roles. Raven had already undertaken three different missions in different areas of the continental US … and it had not been pretty. The first one alone was brutal and she was positive if she had been a regular mortal rather than a divine being already assimilated to such circumstances, she would have broken down on the spot.

A sex slave traffic ring of all things. Getting in had been easy, using minor levels of charm speak and sweet talking some guards, maybe flash a little cleavage and 'gently' dissuade anyone who got a little too … familiar. But the moment she'd been inside and seen what was actually happening, the faces of either hopelessness or panic, desperate pleas and prayers so thick she couldn't even block them out of her head. In all honesty she had just let go and seen nothing but a red haze until she abruptly recovered only to find that she had been asleep in her father's lap, using her inherited ability to take on a child form.

It was only then that she realized she'd been covered head to toe in mortal blood, not a speck of her own platinum ichor in sight though she felt some welts from bullets definitely having hit her but failed to pierce her skin. She'd almost panicked but her father calmed her and explained to her what happened since he and her mother had been watching the entire time. Apparently she'd snapped, unused to such an influx of negative emotions and rather horrid desires she could sense off the frequenters of the establishment. It had taken less than an hour for her to clear out every single responsible individual within the building, whether consumer or producer, and rip them apart by hand rather than use her short sword disguised as a hair clip given to her by her father.

At least she'd remained coherent enough to shadow travel with all those she rescued, over three dozen, and brought them to Will's clinic in the city. A good chunk of those she rescued where well under the legal age too so Leto would probably take responsibility for them. That mission had been a bit of an alarming wake-up call though, especially since it seemed that Raven inherited something akin to a fatal flaw from her father, being driven over the edge emotionally and focusing on a sole directive though unless it was a repeat occurrence, that one time could be attributed to nerves and inexperience. Regardless she had continued on with the follow up missions, steeling herself for the task she was born to handle in her mother's place.

Now that she had some experience under her belt her mother felt it right to start seeking out possible candidates to join her. It may have seemed overly clichéd and fantasy based but with the world's state now Love truly did need to be protected, especially through the greatest means such as innocence and empathy. Now she had chased down what felt like a possible lead that she'd picked out some hours earlier while in her mother's office and connecting more thoroughly with emotions of the closest humans, at least on the same continent.

The one she felt was surprisingly appropriate for the tasks and purpose of, as of yet unnamed group which Raven would lead under the supervision of her mother. Sure, they and likely would try to spread positive emotions whenever they could but at the end of the day they were also executioners, specifically hunting for the Black Listed as her mother termed them. They would see vile and disgusting things, the ugly underbelly that humanity tries to ignore about itself and they needed to have tough stomachs for it. The emotions she felt from this one gave an impression of experience but there were still undertones of kindness and a desire to do more. Oddly enough, this presence, though strong for a mortal, felt like it was incomplete somehow, as if something was simply removed and never replaced or returned.

She followed the presence until she came to a large studio, the dusk illuminated with bright lights of all sorts focused on the far side where cameras were rolling. She idly glanced to a big cut out, reading, "King of Sparta III: The Ascension" on it. ' _Well, that's amusing considering humanity more or less knows some higher beings exist'_ she mused as she walked past the studio itself and towards an open air courtyard or sorts full of high end trailers, some being hounded by paparazzi. She flowed her senses, maneuvering through some groups, discreetly using the Mist to make sure no one, especially a paparazzi, got any ideas to take pictures of her or try to get her attention.

It only took her a few minutes before she arrived to one particular trailer with a large, shaded tent strung up next to it. Inside she saw a woman looking around her mid-twenties or so, dark brown hair falling just short of her shoulders with a small braid hanging near her face. Dressed in a rather simple yet snug green blouse and jean shorts did nothing to detract from her rather impressive hourglass figure, as far as mortals went. Her light mocha skin seemed flawless and with deep, amber eyes and full lips set her apart from the rest.

However, even as she watched the woman relaxing with a chai tea in hand and a magazine in the other, Raven could see a faint wariness in her shoulders. Almost like she was tired but also expecting a visit but not one she wanted in the slightest. Raven felt tempted to use her abilities to see the woman's desires to get an idea of how to approach her but then she thought better of it. Being this close had already tipped Raven that this woman was a demigod, though again the scent felt off as well, much like her presence. And if this was an adult demigod with clear experience judging by the subtle muscle definition in her arms and the siting stance that would allow her to move in an instant, she would be suspicious if someone unknown suddenly showed up and started a conversation with too much control or knowledge.

Coming outright and saying she was an immortal could help show honesty on her part but making it seem like a manipulation rather than an offer would be counter-productive. So, taking her choice of action she walked forward confidently, mirroring how her mother would walk when she wanted her father's attention. Virgin she may be and no interests to change that as of yet but still, being a seductress was second nature to her. As it were, the clack of her heeled sandals drew the woman's attention up from her magazine.

Said woman watched with a raised eyebrow as Raven drew closer with an easy smile, brazenly walking into the open-air tent and asking, "Mind if I have a seat?"

The demigod looked at her with something akin to bemusement, as if wondering why exactly she was being approached or who Raven thought she was but regardless she gave a nod and smile.

"Thank you," Raven said as she got comfortable, crossing her legs and putting her hands together on her lap as she looked at the demigoddess.

The demigoddess in question seemed to be considering whether returning to her magazine or not but then set it down and looked at Raven intently before asking, "So, can I get a name?"

"Oh," Raven started, a slight blush of embarrassment making itself known though luckily the Mist hide it as a natural color. "I'm sorry, my name is Raven … Blofis," she added at the end seeing this demigoddess was simply too old to _not_ know the Jackson name, besides, she wasn't technically wrong since her parents aren't married yet and her mother is a Blofis.

"Blofis," the demigoddess murmured with a slight narrowing of the eyes, as if trying to find where she might have heard that name before but seemed to come up short. With a little shake and smile she returned, "Nice to meet you Raven, my name is Piper … Piper Mclean."

Raven just barely stopped her eyes from widening at that, almost kicking herself for not recognizing the demigod sooner. She wasn't the most popular of subjects back at Mount Cartier but Raven had heard enough that she should have recognized her for the obvious such as her heritage, mortal and divine, but then again Piper's presence felt incomplete … and didn't she have ever changing eyes?

Still, continuing on without giving it away that Piper's name rung some bells beyond what they should, possibly because it was rather obvious now that Piper was here with her father. If she remembered correctly they'd heard that there was a falling out between Piper and Aphrodite soon after the scandal with Jason and the demigod had renounced all ties to Olympus, including her own bloodline and abilities associated with them. That … made things easier in a way.

Here she had a known and experienced demigoddess with no ties to Olympus whatsoever, already used to some of the abilities she would gain if she took a vow with her mother … if she agreed. But then there was the entire issue of Jason and how everyone else would react to it. She was sure she could convince her father to give Piper a second chance, as well as her mother would definitely support it, but again it was all speculation until she actually got Piper to agree. That being said, she was taking too long and Piper was starting to fidget as Raven kept staring at her without even blinking.

"Well, nice to meet you Piper," she said kindly while relaxing into her seat before looking around.

She caught Piper looking oddly surprised for a moment before asking softly, "You're taking this awfully well."

Raven turned to her with a quirked eyebrow, not sure why that was, luckily Piper continued.

"For the last few years people always get excited or tongue tied when they learn I'm Tristen Mclean's daughter," she explained before gesturing to a group of paparazzi hounding some passing actor. "They won't bother here since there are actual celebrities to go after but every once in a while I'm spotted by the curious few or new reports trying to find an easy first assignment." Then she grimaced before adding, "That or other, occasionally actors trying to get in my pants."

"Well to be honest I had no idea who you were until you said your name and otherwise no real interest in the celebrity stuff," Raven said with a casual shrug. "You just looked a little lonely and this shaded tent is rather comfortable."

"That's why I got it," Piper replied before taking a sip of her drink. "Hanging out in an air-conditioned trailer gets boring pretty quickly but being out here always gets some entertainment."

"I would imagine so," Raven agreed before pausing as she considered how to get the conversation to the more … mystic aspects of the world. "So … been seeing the news lately?" she hedged.

Piper hummed with a nod. "Yeah, pretty crazy all things considered and I thought I'd seen everything," she said, finishing with the last bit muttered under her breath but Raven still caught it.

"You don't seem that surprised," she commented, watching how Piper tensed slightly but relaxed soon enough.

"You could say I've lived … in interesting times," she replied.

"And so? Any thoughts on everyone claiming about angels and the end is near?" she asked, amusement coloring her voice.

Piper snorted at that before saying, "Wouldn't be the first time."

Seeing Raven's questioning look Piper quickly added, "I mean, everyone thought the new millennia was the end and then there was the whole 2012 year so really it's just everyone jumping the gun."

"And if it isn't?" Raven asked as she picked at her hair clip before taking it out and fingering it lightly. "What if the world isn't ending … but changing?"

Piper looked at her oddly at that before her eyes moved to the hairclip in Raven's hands. Deciding that unless she outright said it Piper would keep the conversation away from anything related to myths she twirled the clip in her fingers making it shift. In a manner of seconds she now held a black short sword made from one of her father's own feathers and fused with tartarean steel just for her. The handle and guard were a smooth obsidian while the blade itself was slightly curved up forming one sharp edge for cutting.

Piper gaped at it but Raven quickly shifted it back to a hairclip before Piper could think she was taking hostile action, though she wasn't sure if Piper was armed anyways. Said demigoddess was now looking at her with narrowed and calculating eyes, the old training and experience from the second Giant War taking root. They stared at each other for a few tense minutes before Piper finally broke the silence.

"Who and more importantly, _what_ , are you?" she asked.

"I told you who, you just don't know what that means unless you knew who my parents are. As for what, again related to what my parents are but …" she paused as she leaned forward and said with a wink. "… My parents and their associates have been the topic of news lately."

At that Piper's eyes widened, probably recalling the footage of Jason that practically everyone has seen by now. However, before the demigoddess could possibly jump to a wrong conclusion Raven held a hand up.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I have another purpose for being here," she said.

"I thought you didn't even know who was?" Piper shot back suspiciously.

"And I didn't, I was only tracking down a strong presence that could match what I was looking for to begin with," Raven replied.

"And that would be what exactly?" Piper continued, still not looking convinced. "Because if you know anything about me, than you know that I didn't exactly leave that world behind on the most positive note for anyone."

"Well I'm not from Olympus if that's what you're asking but then again, you don't know what's been going on in the last few months, do you?" Raven shot back with a knowing smirk while Piper frowned.

"I was wondering why it's been so long since her last attempt," Piper murmured before looking at Raven's questioning expression. "The _Love_ goddess," Piper nearly hissed. "Has been trying for some time to get me to see reason apparently but I still reject her every time. She's even tried to get back with my father but I've chased her off several times and he already knows just enough about the mystic world to rebuke her as well. He didn't take kindly to learning what she did to me and before you say anything," Piper added when Raven opened her mouth to comment on what happened that night, she raised her hand. "Yes, it was my fault for letting her words get to me and in the end I'm the one that willingly slept with the sunny bastard but I won't let myself or my father become one of her playthings again."

"I'm surprised she hasn't caused anything to happen. Last I checked Olympians don't take a 'no' very well and go by the logic of 'If I can't have it, no one can'," Raven said as she crossed her arms and studied Piper intently.

"That's because of Hestia," Piper replied as she took another drink. "She'd heard what happened and probably felt how upset I was, especially when that woman appeared again. She forced Aphrodite to swear on the Styx to never use her power or domains to interfere with me and my father ever again. Makes the goddess near harmless if she can't charmspeak you but it didn't stop her persistence."

Raven whistled at that while looking at Piper mildly impressed. Even without the use of her power Aphrodite was still someone experience in using pure feminine charms and a silver tongue to get what she wants, not to mention her resources as a goddess were nothing to scuff at. She could easily imagine the goddess coming to Piper with promises of just about anything, from riches to power if only to reclaim her daughter, likely the strongest one she's ever had. And yet Piper had said no to each and every one.

"Hmm, so what then? Happy now with all this?" Raven asked as she waved around to which Piper idly tracked before sighing.

"It's … pleasant," she answered after a quiet minute. "But … boring I guess." She then sighed as she looked down at her lap. "I thought that what I had with Grace was what I wanted," She said while Raven wondered on the specifics on not using Jason's given name. "We were together, partially immortal with respect and all that but more importantly, peace and quiet finally. I didn't really like the whole 'demigods fighting and fighting for glory only to get eaten at some point' so I didn't even officially join the legion. Sure I would fight if actually needed but otherwise I was happy just going on with the days but …" She now looked at Raven with wet eyes. "I guess what I wanted and what Jason wanted weren't exactly matched up. I stayed at home, he was out there being a hero and such, recuing demigods. I was happy mostly keeping to regular mortal stuff while he was training, searching, and leading with the legion. I guess in the end I got frustrated because even then we didn't progress together as a couple, and then all the stuff with that damned goddess."

Piper gave a mirthless chuckle as she set her tea down.

"But then here I am. Living the mortal life with a celebrity parent and I can't help but feel like it just isn't enough. Like I can and should be doing so much more, even if I lost all my abilities." She then trailed off as she looked at her lap.

"And what now? Are you going to remain like this? Daughter of a movie star just living an uneventful life," Raven said with a slightly disappointed frown. "I get that everything that happened during the second war really put a pressure on everything, especially when you went from being a clueless mortal to demigod fulfilling part of a prophecy, but in the end it's still in your blood. You were born to _do_ , not just stay stagnant, even if you're definitely Greek rather than the uptight and duty bound Roman."

Piper sniffed a bit before muttering, "Maybe … I still don't want anything to do with those of Olympus though, I would just mean being closer to that goddess again."

"What about Hestia? You seem to still like her," Raven commented while hiding a small smirk.

"Well, I'd like to see her and appreciate what she did for me but wouldn't it still bring me in contact with Olympus even after being separate from them for near half a decade?" Piper asked.

"Not necessarily," Raven hummed as she looked at the former child of love intently. "A lot has been going on with the mystic side of things, as I'm sure you're aware from the news." At Piper's nod, she continued. "Well, the reason seeing Hestia again is due to what you saw on the news and what's been going on in recent years, and it also coincides as to why I came looking for you."

At Piper's questioning look Raven smiled as she leaned forward. "Well Piper Mclean, if you'll humor me, I might just have an interesting offer for you …"

* * *

 **Athena, Hours Later**

The goddess groaned softly as she woke back up, her head throbbing and a metallic taste in her mouth. Her vision was blurry for a few moments as she blinked repeatedly before getting a full view of where she was. She immediately noticed that her hands were tied together at the wrists and hung up above her head. She was in a marble room lit by odd lamps in each corner that almost looked like they were made of solid light. It was considerably large, around some 20 feet cubed if she had to guess, the chains holding her to the ceiling made of an odd black metal that definitely wasn't Stygian Iron but she couldn't identify it.

Her feet just barely touched the floor, more of her toes grazing the chilly floor. She was dressed lightly, in a simple white sundress and much to her alarm, nothing else underneath. Her heart started to race as a cold pit of worry and fear built up in her, her eyes starting to look around almost wildly. Every single thought was turning to what this scene could play out, every scenario getting progressively worse. However, before she could scare herself further the single door before her creaked as it was opened and stepped in … the winged goddess that fought her before.

Those same lavender turning to pink eyes looked at her without giving anything away as the winged woman came closer. She felt oddly familiar, like Athena had seen her face once or twice before but for the life of her she couldn't remember properly. The woman stopped just a few feet away, looking Athena over with her hands held behind her back, the silence between them quickly becoming heavy. It got to a point that Athena was unconsciously starting to squirm, only now truly being able to feel the power rolling off the woman even while suppressed.

"So …" the woman began, her voice carrying a pleasant, near musical chime to it. "… how are you feeling, Athena?"

Unsure of how to address such a question considering her current state of detainment, Athena skipped answering only to shoot back her own questions in a tone that was far more confident than she actually was. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The winged woman didn't seem surprised that Athena avoided the question only to ask her own but answered regardless.

"Well, my name is Andromeda Jackson, Percy's little sister that Artemis kidnapped," the now named Andromeda answered simply much to Athena's shock but she continued on. "I'm also now Percy, Rhea, and Hestia's fiancé and future royal consort, the Primordial Goddess of Love, Attraction, Desire, and Procreation, and member of the new Primordial Council," she finished while Athena had trouble picking her jaw back up at the influx of personal information.

"B-but, how, I mean what!?" Athena spluttered, her eyes wide as she looked at Andromeda and spotting the clear amusement in her eyes.

"Before you can go off on me marrying my brother, Hestia, and Rhea, or that fact that, yes, me being their consort does mean the three are married already, please explain to me your family tree," she said casually while crossing her arms under her rather impressive bust.

Athena tried to think up something of an argument but came up dry as she stared at Andromeda. Taking her silence as leave to continue she spoke on, "As for me being a goddess, Eros and Phanes along with most of the old protogenoi decided it was their time to move on and picked their heirs to take their places. I took over for Eros and Phanes, Percy became the heir of Nyx and Erebus, Rhea took Gaea's place, and so on and so forth with a few of the other missing heroes," she explained before narrowing her eyes. "But we aren't here to discuss that right now. Instead, let's focus on you."

At that Athena became more on guard, her legs pressing together remembering her current position and state of dress.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked, glad that she managed to keep any stutter out of her voice.

"Not what you're thinking obviously," Andromeda answered as she glanced down at Athena's tense legs. "We can be pretty brutal with our punishments but you can be sure that they will always be proportional to the crimes and besides, this isn't Olympus," she added with obvious distaste at the mention of the city of the Greek gods. "We don't go murdering and raping every prisoner just because we can unlike your father and several others."

Athena couldn't honestly give any retort to that, much to her shame. She knew just what kind of being several of the Olympians were, the very myths passed on throughout the millennia detailing it in painful accuracy and that was just what they knew of.

"Granted what happened to your brother was a little more heavy handed than what I would have done but in the end it might just have been what he deserved," Andromeda added.

"What did you do to him?" Athena asked wearily.

"Not entirely sure. Only the late Lord Tartarus, Ikelos, and Nico know in detail but they've refrained from giving them out. I do believe though it involved turning all of Ares' favored memories featuring rape and torture against him," she answered before her face grew dark. "Though you may come to find that having me as your … warden … could in fact be worse."

Athena felt a shudder go through her as she looked at the winged goddess, somehow finding little doubt in her claim but she still tried to put up and air of defiance.

"Oh, and how, pray tell, could you be worse than Tartarus?" she asked, a near haughty look taking her features and she tried to look down at the shorter goddess. "You just said that you aren't like the Olympians so my virtue is safe, if you're telling the truth that is, but then what else could you do?" she asked, gaining confidence as she went on.

"I could slowly break through your mental barriers and take away your very Desire to live until you're nothing but an empty husk waiting for someone to kill you and make you fade," Andromeda shot back, her answer like a bucket of cold water dumped on the restrained goddess. "I could instead turn your every want and desire into nothing but lust until you'd become worse than Aphrodite and your father, or even take away any and all love you might feel for your family until you're left with nothing but bitter emptiness and even hatred before setting you lose on them, need I go on?"

At Athena's silence Andromeda continued, this time slowly beginning to walk around the restrained goddess.

"You need to forget everything you know about Love and Lust, Athena. Aphrodite is a very poor example to go off and few gods or mortals have truly contemplated it enough to understand either. Love and its counterpart, Hatred, are dangerous emotions, possibly the most. Both are blind, death, and dumb. Logic does not matter to them nor reason, and because of that those emotions can be used to control someone like good little puppets," she then paused as she stood behind Athena. "Then there is Lust, an emotion that is far more in tuned with the body and what it wants. Why torture someone with pain and threats when lust is far more effective. Anyone can be trained to tolerate pain, even to the point it becomes too much and their minds shatter but by then it defeats the purpose, especially if you want information. A person can close off their heart and cut all ties that could be used against them, maybe even using such methods might validate stubbornness."

Now Andromeda stood before her again.

"Lust on the other hand is more … sinister. Unlike pain, neither your mind nor body would try to guard itself against lust, even if by your will you do. There is no danger of your mind shattering or withdrawing within itself …"

"But-"

"Again, you misunderstand," Andromeda continued as she stepped up to Athena's side. "This isn't about taking you against your will or any threats of sexual violence but frustration," she said as she lightly traced a finger from Athena's elbow to her armpit, causing goosebumps to develop. "Gods may like to think they're so above mortals and we are admittedly in several ways but by the same token we are nearly identical, if not worse. Especially in regards to our bodily desires," she added before she blew softly into Athena's ears making her shudder, and much to her horror, lean into it for more. "Gods at the end of the day, are horny beings. The only ones on this entire mountain not going at it consistently are the virgins and that's before they gain their first experience before all bets are off. And at the same time, it's the unexperienced that tend to be the most vulnerable to new … sensations," she whispered almost huskily as she softly caressed the outside of her thigh, the very touch seeming to almost burn the goddess as her heart sped up.

"Of course, with it being me, bringing anyone to the point of overwhelming need is pretty simple, especially if I know what they want and how," Andromeda continued as she moved away before looking back at Athena. "Of course, you aren't here for that so turning your own lust against you is merely a means, not an end. Maybe if we needed information, then I'd be more prone to using my own methods, but again, we don't need any information could provide."

"But that means …" Athena trailed off as she got the simple shrug from Andromeda. "… There's a spy."

"Yeah. The barrier you lot have been using may be enough to detect if our consciousness gets too close whenever you're having meetings but otherwise New Rome isn't that well-guarded. Not that we need to try and eavesdrop anyways," Andromeda replied with a thin smile on her lips, much to Athena's growing worry.

Just how well informed was this new Protogenoi council?

"W-what is the ends then?" Athena asked, desperately tried to control her heart and fight down the faint blush that had appeared and remained since Andromeda touched her.

Andromeda gave her a knowing look before her face got more serious. "Originally your death was intended with the rest of the Olympians but after some others gods came forward with their thoughts on the matter, it was decided that each Olympian would go by case as to what they deserved."

"So rigged and backroom trials? You have an odd sense of justice," Athena bit back as she finally regained control of her body.

"Sweet heart this war's purpose was to off you and a good chunk of deities that have spent the last couple eons tormenting each other and innocent mortals alike. A trail would be the debate on your execution and punishment leading to it, and that's if we even bother taking you into custody rather than kill you out on the battlefields. We aren't claiming the higher morale ground as there is none, this is us simply giving those of you with lesser evils to your names a chance to possibly change or even gain redemption." Andromeda then paused as she looked down, a frown marring her face. "However, sometimes if you want to a chance to change or find redemption, punishment is needed first."

As Andromeda spoke the door behind her opened and two woman walked in. Both Athena immediately recognized and a feeling of dread built up inside her. Even with the new black hair that fell to the back of her thighs and vibrant green, slit eyes, Medusa was every bit the beauty that Athena remembered of her priestess. The other, once a dear friend as well, also an exotic beauty with her new sets of eyes and the lower body of an enormous arachnid, Arachne still turned heads but it was their eyes that made Athena cringe. Such utter loathing and anger, all directed at her, made the goddess want to look away and curl up in a corner.

"I leave you to them now," Andromeda spoke up as she glanced at the two former monsters before glancing back at Athena. "I'll return later but for now, what happens is between you three, and that's none of my business."

With that Andromeda turned her head away and left, her heels clicking the whole way before she was out the door leaving the three women alone. Athena looked at them, unsure of what to say, if she even could say anything to them but it didn't look like Medusa and Arachne were much interested in what she had to say. Instead Medusa raised one hand and a whip materialized straight out of the shadows as wires appeared in Arachne's hands.

"Hello Athena," Medusa started as she leisurely cracked the whip against the marble floor, leaving a clear cut in the stone making Athena gulp. "We've been wanting to see you for quite some time," she continued with a thin, grim smile.

"And now we have all the time in the world," Arachne added as she pulled the strings taut between her fingers…

* * *

 **Oh Shit! Things are going down! Hope everyone enjoyed and drop a review! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	34. Turn On Each Other

**Author's Note: Hello all! A 10K chapter just because it felt right and early! Lots of love and good reviews/points/questions in the last chapter that I absolutely love. Quick thing for this chapter, as an AU, I took a liberty on expanding on godly abilities since the canon never really went into it.**

 **PS: You will all either praise me as a god or curse me as a devil by the end of this chapter ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot!**

* * *

His eyes watching, unblinking as her breathes came softly, little bubbles puffing out each time within her tank. Her dark hair streaked with blue, her green tinged skin carrying a healthy glow unlike when they rescued her. And yet, his eyes moved down to her body covered by a specially made gown meant to suite her within the watery confines of her 'bed'. More like tank, specially filled with mineral waters, sea salt, and nectar to help her recover the fasted possible.

Jason's eyes returned to the soft and gentle smile of Amphitrite's sleeping face, her head leaning slightly in his direction. He sighed as he straightened up in his chair, groaning slightly as his back popped and he put away a small book he'd been reading on Norse lore and tales. Just as he was thinking of leaving he heard the door to Amphitrite's room opening and glanced over to see a near look-alike of Percy stepping in, save for the sharper features, teeth, and blue tinged skin.

"Triton," he greeted with a nod.

"Lord Grace," the sea god returned getting an annoyed frown from the primordial.

"Come on, I'm a stickler for decorum and all but right now shouldn't be a time for formality. Just Jason is fine," he said, catching the slight amusement in Triton's gaze before the sea god turned his eyes to his sleeping mother.

"How long was she up this time?" he asked softly as he walked closer to her tank.

"About two hours or so before she started to get tired and I told her to rest… that was an hour ago," he replied as he looked at her sleeping face again. "Still, Will didn't even expect her to regain consciousness for a week and she pulled it off in a few days. Managing to stay up for a few spare hours after only a week or so of treatment is pretty good, especially for how bad the damage was."

At the mention of the state his mother was brought in Triton clenched his fists, the knuckles cracking as Jason turned his attention to him. Though his face was rather blank, the rage in the sea god's eyes was almost otherworldly, an aura of power briefly flashing around him.

"Triton, reign it in," Jason warned, catching the slight stirring of Amphitrite.

Triton caught the movement too and took a deep breathe to calm down before he slowly relaxed. The silence continued afterwards for some time, neither really feeling like speaking. Jason sat, his arms crossed as he continued to study the face of the goddess that had been the focus of his thoughts ever since he rescued her with the others. The one that triggered his wrath at the sight of her broken form, the one that made his own goal at the time conflict against his own morals. The goddess that possibly stole his heart without him realizing it until now.

"I'm gonna kill him."

The statement drew Jason's attention as he looked at Triton, the sea god's eyes moving from his resting mother to the winged god.

"He's not my father, not after he dared do this."

"But are you truly ready to try and cut down your own father?" Jason asked while looking at him intently. "I get your anger, I do, but does that really translate to you coming out and joining us out on the battlefield? You could just stay here safe with your mother and no one will fault you for it. You didn't start this war after all."

"Maybe but I can't remain doing nothing," Triton retorted while looking at his own hands. "I already stood by doing nothing once and look what happened."

"But you couldn't have done anything at the time. You would have been alone against Oceanus and Poseidon while trapped in the barrier set up by Pontus," Jason replied intently. "And even then, in the end you acted and thanks to you, Amphitrite is safe and now Pontus is down one of his stronger soldiers."

"Yes, and what about the rest that he has at his disposal?" Triton asked making Jason frown.

"The new Council is blind to anything happening under the oceans right now and Pontus has an entire kingdom now at his disposal along with several ancient monsters and old titans that were always loyal to the original children of Gaea. Even with the likes of you, my brother, Nico, Thalia, and the other more combat oriented members, you still need more forces capable of acting on their own to fight down his armies," Triton argued as Jason blew a puff of air. "Yet my brother still tells me no even when he knows I'm capable and a dangerous fighter in my own right."

"It's not about your ability," Jason said after a pause, thinking over his words. "I think it's more about risk being there and not wanting you to shoulder a responsibility that isn't yours." He then looked Triton in the eyes. "You are strong but just the same, there are true powerhouses on Pontus' side that could show up anywhere near a body of water and ambush at their discretion. It's the possibility of you actually being blindsided, of losing you that Percy doesn't want to risk." He then glanced at the sleeping goddess. "You or Amphitrite."

"Why go so far?" Triton asked as he furrowed his brows in thought. "The only time I officially met him when he was a demigod I blew him off and mother didn't even acknowledge him. We are family only by the most stretched terms."

"Maybe …" Jason sighed. "But at the end of the day you are all relatable and have the possibility of growing closer this time around. Family is a big thing to us, especially Percy, so having the chance to add to this odd little family the council has started is something he would definitely go for. He already lost his godly father through betrayal, then his mother and step-father, and nearly lost his sister. Then he lost Nyx who'd become his mother in the decades they were together along with the rest of the elder primordials. He just doesn't want to have to lose anyone else and that includes you and Amphitrite."

As Jason spoke Triton became silent as his eyes became unfocused, the god in deep thought. Seeing this Jason stood and clapped a hand on Triton's shoulder making the sea god jump slightly.

"Look, just because Percy's being stubborn about it doesn't mean he can't be reasoned with to have you become part of the war effort. Just sit down and talk it out of him rather than just request or demand to fight, even if at the end of the day he wouldn't actually stop you but I can see that you still want to join as part of us rather than strike out on your own." Jason then smirked slightly. "I could even help get through that frozen skull of his if you want. Goodness knows he would have rather fought this entire war alone just to protect the rest of us."

Triton shared an amused smirk, knowing that Percy would do something like that. Skilled and powerful he may be but hindsight is 20/20 at times. The pair then turned their attention to the sleeping goddess, a more comfortable silence coming between them for a time.

"You know," Triton started up as he leaned on the edge of his mother's tank. "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone make mother smile the way you do."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," Triton hummed as he glanced at Jason. "The small little smile that I remember when I was just a godling whenever I did something she thought was silly and would tease me about." Triton's smile then fell slightly. "It was the early years that she was the happiest, at least, as far as I saw anyways but then I grew up and we really didn't spend as much time alone together. Rarely did we have the time for mother-son bonding with my responsibilities in the army and traveling across the sea kingdoms all the time. But when I walk in on you two just reading together, she always has that same smile on."

Jason chuckled with the faintest blush of embarrassment making his cheeks shine slightly. He then noticed as Triton glanced to the book left on the stand beside the tank.

"Norse mythology and lore though," Triton said in, clearly amused with the topic. "Any particular reason you're reading on a pantheon that doesn't exist?"

"Not on this planet at least," Jason murmured but Triton caught it, his raised eyebrow asking enough.

"We had short conversations with Cronus and Lady Chaos and though we haven't gotten a definite answer, some of us on the council suspect that there is far more than what's beyond this single world."

"Maybe," Triton said with a shrug before a tiny smirk played on his face. "Still, you two seem pretty cozy together, her leaning over your shoulder as you read to her."

"What are you, a stalker?" Jason teased with a faint chuckle before sighing.

"Just an overprotective son looking out for his dear old mom," he replied getting both to laugh lightly.

"What's this about old?" asked a sickeningly sweet voice making both shut up and look with a start to the tank.

It seemed that at some point their talking had woken Amphitrite up and she had sat up, holding onto the edge of her tank as she looked at them with a worryingly warm smile, her eyes nailing her son to the spot.

"N-nothing mom," he replied shakily, paling until his skin was more of a baby blue.

"So you weren't insinuating that I'm getting old?" she asked as her smile grew.

"Urk!" was his reply, choking on air as he backed up out her reach.

Amphitrite kept the unnerving smile for another minute or so letting the sea god sweat it out before she finally turned her attention to Jason, the winged god having been watching with far too much amusement. He looked back at the woman that had been the focus of his thoughts for the last week, smiling softly at her and being rewarded with the faintest blush.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently as he leaned closer, resting the back of his hand against her cool forehead, making her blush deepen. "You were a little warm before you went to rest earlier."

"It's okay," she replied almost shyly while turning her gaze down getting him to chuckle.

"Good," he replied before deciding to be a little bold and going as far as to give her a quick kiss on her forehead after removing his hand. "Then I'll be letting the two of you get some peace and quiet together," he added as he straightened up.

"Are you sure? We don't mind the company," she returned as she looked at him, her blush slowly dying down.

"No worries," he replied with a light shake of the head before turning to glance at Triton, amused as the sea god watched him like a haw-err, shark. "I'll visit again if you're feeling better later tonight," he continued looking at her again with a warm smile.

"I'd like that," she answered with her own smile, tucking one of her wet hairs behind her ear.

Triton for his part was making fake gagging sounds in the background but quit it the moment Amphitrite sent him a sharp smile. Chuckling at the mother-son antics Jason made his way out of Amphitrite's room and into the main patient ward for Will's clinic in the city. It was slowly growing with new floors being added to the already impressive floor size ranging close to that of a small school and with three floors already complete. The patient wards was on the second in fact with ER and check-up rooms in the first while the top floor was meant for physical therapy and a safe exercise zone. Granted they were right next to a park added by Rhea and tended to by several nymphs. Lastly was a sub-level dedicated to medical research or testing such as blood work and the disposal of biohazardous material.

Not one for hospitals in general Jason tended to only come in if he wanted to see someone, otherwise he'd stay clear since the smell of disinfectant bothered him but at least Will specified a design with many windows and warm color schemes to make it feel far more welcoming. As he walked Jason noticed some staff passing him by, a mix of minor gods interested in medical fields, some mortals who were in fact parents of demigods and already worked in the profession, or even young demigods already showing talent for healing and shadowing currently on duty staff.

Many gave him slight bows and greeting to which he returned, even if he didn't find it necessary but it seemed that some people just really couldn't get over it. He passed another section of the ward with younger arrivals, a slight frown making itself known as he happened to glance into one room. There was a girl, probably around 13 years old, dirty blonde hair and a tan complexion, crying her eyes out into the chest of a nymph working as a care provider for younger residents. The dryad in this case was gently running her hands through the girl's hair, her light and musical voice speaking in soothing whispers.

The dryad possibly noticed his presence, turning to him and giving him a smile and nod before returning to the girl at which point some movement attracted Jason's gaze lower to see one of Percy's black wolves sitting next to the bed with its head on the bed, comforting the crying girl with simple presence. Percy, being one of the first gods in the city to get prayers through dreams, especially nightmares, had added a significant number to his pack but these newer wolves acted with the intent of protecting the citizens of the city and provide comfort for the young. Wolves like the one stayed with their given charge at all times until no longer needed, in which case they would move on to the next in need, and considering the girl was one of those rescued from the slave trade ring Raven eliminated, that support was desperately needed.

Hoping that the girl was on the steady road to recovery he moved on, making a silent journey to the closest set of stairs and to the first floor. Aside from a few glances and plenty of blushing nymphs and/or minor goddesses making way for him, he was out and about in short order. Looking at the night sky above he sighed, letting a cool breeze tussle his hair before he spread his wings and gently took off. He glanced behind him, smiling at the bustling and growing city within the second district as gods, some with their mortal lovers, their demigods, and other mystic creatures went about their nights.

' _And it's only a matter of time before Prometheus finishes preparations for a full school to open up,'_ he thought as he glanced further down the city to a less crowded space with the construction of a rather large school meant to house all grades through to college. Taking his eyes off it he soon arrived to hover just before the entrance of the Primordial Temple and with a quick tuck of his wings, dropped that few meters or so to land squarely on his feet. Seeing as it was already well into the night most gods had returned home save for those that tended to stay out later or had domains corresponding with the night. He glanced around and could see the torches to several surrounding temples still lit indicating their use but he shrugged it off and walked inside.

It was rather quiet as he walked the enormous halls of marble and obsidian, the marble torches burning with golden fire rather than solid light lamps casting a warm glow up above with the sound of his boots echoing around. As he neared the corridor connected to the primordial offices he noticed both Percy and Andromeda speaking softly and made to approach them. Both noticed and gave light greetings that he returned before he asked the question, "How did it go?"

The pair glanced at each other before Percy answered, "Success." He then glanced down the corridor to one of the extra rooms dotting the end of the corridor meant for meetings.

Some gods tended to feel uncomfortable meeting with a primordial within their office, their mindscapes manifested, leaving them at the absolute mercy of said primordial so the neutral rooms were added for whatever use they might need.

"We have Athena," Andromeda answered while also looking to the rooms though there was no way of knowing what was going on unless they went in themselves since the rooms were made with the intent for privacy.

He was pretty sure several gods had made use of them to get off a quickie between work and boredom.

"She's in there … with Medusa and Arachne," she continued getting Jason to wince.

One unarmed goddess, regardless of being an Olympian, against two powerful, skilled, and major god-class pseudo-goddesses with a bone to pick? That wasn't going to end well for the goddess of wisdom in any way.

"Are you sure that isn't a little … much?" he asked as he looked at the room in question.

"It's between them and we promised them they could get everything off their chests after millennia of pain," Percy said even though he didn't look happy at the thought of Medusa or Arachne going too far, even if he wouldn't actually stop them.

Jason could understand why. Throughout the years in Tartarus many of the council members had gone to great lengths helping many of their allies deal with their traumas and grudges against Olympus. Not to necessarily forgive and forget but to help each come to terms with what happened in the past and what is going to be the future. Especially Percy, knowing how much his hatred for Artemis and Poseidon could turn him into a ruthless killer if pushed enough, didn't want to see Medusa consumed by her own grudge after helping his _Shadow_ move past it as much as he could. Still, in the end he would always offer his support and drop any judgment on his part, knowing that in the end Medusa had to do it for herself.

Before he could ask further on what the rest of the plans were his head turned to the entrance of the temple along with Percy and Andromeda. They could feel Raven's presence upon arrival, though both of them could likely feel where Raven was anywhere in the world if they wanted to. However, it was the second, vaguely familiar presence that tripped Jason up. He looked, half in disbelief, as Raven walked in along with a woman Jason hadn't seen in (for him) over a decade. She'd grown in the last few years, truly filling out to become a beautiful woman the likes of which would make mortals green with envy.

That wasn't his focus though. No, right no he had to quell the surge of anger her face brought him, phantom images of that night crossing his gaze. They both saw them, Piper starting in surprise as her eyes widened upon seeing them. Jason's fists clenched up as he unconsciously started to flare his massive aura to the point a glow started to surround him, a similar haze clouding up his vision. However, before he could act in any way and possibly do something he could regret he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. The touch was well into freezing, the grip firm enough to crush steel with pathetic ease, and another aura was flared to counter his own. All of this together broke him out of the wrathful daze that had taken him as he glanced back to see Percy locking eyes with him.

At that moment though it wasn't Percy, his best friend and resident goofball, the guy that visits the orphanage just to make the kids smile and wrestles his wolves for fun. Right now it was Perseus, his king and a god more than capable, and willing, to beat him down if he dared tried to break one of the rules of the city. The primal fury embodying the terror of darkness, as unforgiving as the worst avalanche, looked at him through eyes of writhing black fire.

He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Just with that look Jason dropped his aura and lowered his gaze almost imperceptibly, something that only another council member would have caught. Perseus gave him a small nod as he removed his hand, leaving a dull ache as a reminder of how close of a call that had been. He look elsewhere, now noticing that Piper had dropped to her knees in fear, trembling with Raven giving her a comforting hug with Andromeda standing between the girls and them, having used her own aura to guard the girls.

Andromeda was also giving him a glare, clearly miffed that he'd slipped so quickly. He sighed at the look and bowed his head in apology before looking past her to look at his niece, trying to convey his apology through the look. She sent him a small but reassuring smile, letting him know that she understood before returning her attention to the slowly calming demigoddess.

"Please excuse me," he said softly to all before breaking down into particles of light and headed for the Palace of the Skies to clear his head.

Maybe Medusa and Percy weren't the only ones that had to slay their own demons…

* * *

 **Athena**

She bit her lip as another lash struck, the sound of her dress and skin alike tearing being her only marker for how many times she'd been struck. Her ribs felt like they were slowly getting ready to give as the wires wrapped around her torso continued to squeeze every few seconds. Ichor was trailing down her body and pooling at her feet but throughout it all she didn't make a sound or cry, her stubbornness and pride simply wouldn't let her.

Her eyes had remained closed tight the moment she heard Medusa's whip as it parted the very air before striking her. Each lash felt like the few cuts she took from Percy's swords. The freezing burn, a paradox of pain, was almost paralyzing even if this was minor in comparison to the actual swords slicing through her skin. Sadly the numbing effect was working against her. Rather than one large gathering of pain being added to, each strike felt like a new pain that slowly faded only to be replaced.

She didn't know how long she'd been there, was it night or day, would they ever stop? She just wasn't sure and that thought scared her. She flinched as she heard the whip being readied again and waited for the icy sting … but it didn't come. Instead there was just silence and her own labored breathing. She didn't dare move though, not wanting to entice another attack even with the aching of her body and tightness in her chest. Then…

 **Sniff. Sniff.**

She wasn't sure whether to believe her ears or not but that sound was unmistakable. Joining it was the sound of someone choking up and then she could hear them moving from being behind her to just in front of her. The noise continued and out of sheer curiosity she slowly opened one eye, only to open both in shock.

Standing before her were Medusa and Arachne, both with furiously trying to wipe away the tears trailing from their bloodshot eyes as they looked at her in mixes of anger and sadness. She just hung there, helpless and at a loss for words as she watched the two monsters she once created as they desperately fought a losing battle against their own tears. Medusa had even dropped her ichor stained whip as she tried using both hands but it was useless.

"Why …?" she whispered as she looked between them, unable to find any reason why they were the ones crying when she was the one being tortured.

"Why?" Medusa echoed through a sob before she took a deep breath, more anger than anything taking hold as she straightened up. "It's because this just isn't fair."

"How is-"

"It isn't fair!" she shouted through more tears, interrupting her. "It isn't fair that after everything you made us go through we can't even do the same thing to you!" At Athena's silence Medusa took a shuddering breath before continuing. "Millennia of being alone, to either be hunted like an animal by any fucking hero wanting to make a name for themselves or that huntress' sick pleasure. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of demigods and innocent mortals alike dead because I was turned into a spiteful, demented bitch that took out my anger on those that didn't deserve it like I was some sort of Olympian. And even the company of other monsters." At this Medusa shuddered, her arms wrapping around herself as she looked at Athena with seething anger. "Do you have any idea what happens to _female_ monsters if they are even remotely attractive!? How many times I offed myself because I was cornered and knew what was going to happen to me?"

By now Arachne had moved closer to hug Medusa from behind as the pseudo-goddess lost the anger in her eyes only to be replaced with sadness and hurt.

"I loved you," she whispered, just barely loud enough for Athena to catch. "I was your priestess and you were my everything. My idol, my guide, the only one I would have gladly given my very body and soul to. How could I not when you were thought to be one of the kindest and wisest of gods? Strong, intelligent, brave, the very hallmark of the ideal woman that stood for her own in a world of violence, where woman were property at worst, trophy wives and broodmares at best. And then when _he_ came for me, lured by my beauty and the fact that it would be a strike against you for that fallout over Athens, _I_ was the one you struck out against. I cried, I begged, I screamed and you weren't there!"

With her every word Athena felt as if Percy's blade had sliced into her heart as she looked at Medusa. Seeing every ounce of pain and rage within her eyes, the betrayal and hurt that she had suffered through. Never before had Athena truly seen just how much she had harmed her, once, most loyal of followers. And yet she couldn't utter a sound as Medusa continued.

"I was left broken, afraid, and cursed. I turned into the very monster I once hated when I heard grand tales of heroes and gods. And throughout those years, all I could think about was making you suffer." Now her eyes took a steely glint, the acidic green of her snake eyes boring into the captured goddess. "So I did by targeting your children with glee, counting it as a small, insignificant victory over you whenever I succeeded … until Percy found us." Medusa's eyes softened at that, a small glimmer of warmth coming into her eyes. "I don't know what he saw in me or why he truly bothered but I'll never regret the day I took his hand. He returned to me everything I ever lost and so much more. Someone to put my faith into and follow, even to the Oblivion and great Void itself if need be. Someone to support and stand by, to love and trust, and a whole family that could understand me if even slightly. He became someone that truly does have my soul and body as his, and I wouldn't change it for Creation itself."

Medusa then gave Arachne a nod, the spider woman slowly letting go and stepping to the side as Medusa returned her gaze to Athena.

"And when he could have turned me into a merciless killer, used that hatred to twist and contort me, he didn't. Instead he held me, he let me cry millennia's worth of tears and heartache, and then built me up while trying to help me move past it all. To become something more, not to be a use to him, but to stand and prove it to myself. That I am not just Medusa the Gorgon, but something more and now, after everything is said and done it isn't fair," she said before giving a mirthless chuckle as more tears continued down her cheeks. "Even now … I still don't want to hurt you. I don't want to see you like this, suffering and by my hand at that, even after millennia of dreaming of nothing else. I'm finally here, I could use my limited command of Voidfire to slowly burn and destroy your very essence until you are nothing, until you fade, but I can't and won't. Because at the end of the day it's pointless. Your pain won't erase mine or change anything, so all I can do is move forward."

With that Medusa took another shuddering breath before stepping aside as Arachne took one step forward, her own eyes finally dried but now sporting a blank face, her voice crisp and to the point. Athena was already dreading what she was going to say, not knowing if she could take anymore after everything Medusa threw in her face.

"I can't say that my suffering was anywhere near the likes of Medusa's but even then I was hurt by what you did. You were one of my closest friends, someone that pushed and challenged me at my craft, one of the few things I took pride in. I was always one of the quieter, shy girls that rarely strayed from home, instead helping my family make ends meet with my weaving. Little did I know one of my few friends was a goddess at the time. I remember you were in a mood that day, for what, I don't have the slightest clue. I jested and teased a little, then we got competitive and everyone knows how that turned out. Perhaps I should have had some more humility but can you really blame me? It was one of the only things I was truly proud of since I wasn't the most eye-catching, I couldn't really dance or sing. But to have my friend reveal herself, in a wrath at that, only to curse me. Perhaps the fact that you made me a hideous monster became a saving grace," she said with a slight glance to Medusa as the _Shadow_ wiped at her eyes occasionally.

"But regardless you proved yourself to be every bit the spiteful and cruel goddess like your father. I don't even know if you ever felt remorse for it but then again, I wasn't like a _proud_ goddess such as yourself would ever admit to your fault and I was left to dwell in darkness and my own bitterness. Then I got my own sick pleasure with every one of your kids I strangled within my webs when they came for your precious Parthenos, even if a clever one finally got me in the end. But then, decades later for me Phoebe stumbled upon me and made me the oddest little offer at the time," she said before a slight blush formed on her cheeks. "More's the pity she is both taken and faithful but at the time I was more intrigued than anything. I wasn't amounting to anything, especially after falling into the Pit but I can't regret taking the offer either. Now I am forever bound and loyal to my goddess just as much as Medusa is to Percy but honestly I couldn't ask for more, so why waste my time."

Her eyes then softened as she looked at Athena.

"In the end I'm not any happier making you suffer either. As Medusa said, us harming you is pointless and causing you harm now did little more than take out some frustration but no true pleasure. More surprising for me considering I'll happily admit to being a sadist but perhaps it's that last dreg of friendship I once had with you somewhere buried in my heart. At the end of the day we are far happier than what once was and so pity you," she said, shaking her head softly as she turned away. "Third times the charm right? No longer seeing you gods as a cowering mortal or a spiteful monster but more as an equal has opened our eyes. Maybe you'll see it too someday if that is the will of Lady Chaos."

Both Medusa and Arachne turned away, leaving the devastated goddess as they began to walk away without another word. They opened the single door of the room and walked out without a single glance back, leaving the goddess strung up, with a stinging back, and an aching heart. She wouldn't have been able to say anything if they had stayed. Their words had hurt more than any weapon or torture could have, even after millennia of battle, both of the physical and verbal nature.

Ever the proud goddess she remained silent, her heart screaming and warring against her own ego and pride as a goddess. To try and beg for forgiveness, that she was wrong after so long against the entitlement of being a goddess, that it was her right and will to punish those who dared defy or betray her. Her lips moved but no words came as her eyes fell closed and her head ducked down, a single tear breaking free and trailing down her cheek but there was no one to see…

* * *

 **Next Day, Evening, Annabeth**

In a flash of gold the goddess appeared just outside the borders of New Rome, the fields of Mars stretching on behind her. Dressed casually in simple jean shorts and black blouse, her hair in a pony-tail, and beach sandals on her feet. She looked every bit the classic California girl as the last rays of sunlight reflected off her golden blonde hair, her literal sun kissed skin radiating with health like only a goddess could. The picture of beauty beyond mortal's ability to achieve.

And yet it was her cold steely grey eyes that complete negated any warmth from her.

Those eyes reflecting the trials and pain experienced by this demigoddess turned goddess. A warrior, tactician, supporter, and leader. The proof of why she belonged to the 'Strongest Generation" seen in millennia and one of the only demigods to have ever survived in Tartarus.

It was such a goddess that approached the city, not even glancing at any that saw her. None approached though, her gaze doing more than enough to subdue them as most simply stepped back, their heads bowed in submission. Internally it pained her to see them like this. So afraid of her not just for her demeanor but because she was now a goddess. That these demigods almost instinctually avoided even irritating her in fear of their own lives. And the scary question that had come to her repeatedly for the last 24 hours or so; did she merit such fear as well?

Last night had truly thrown her for a loop, seeing the unease and worry sow itself into the demigod forces meant to attack the now revealed primordials. It was only the barest of whispers, most of them caught by her only because she wasn't as easily recognized as the older deities but it was there. Thoughts and ideas of turning back. Of defecting. Of going home rather than face seemingly impossible odds. Luckily it seemed only she and possibly Leo had caught these comments because otherwise, she wasn't sure what one of the older gods, or worse yet, an Olympian would do. Such comments were more than enough to be considered traitors by the likes of Zeus or Artemis, whereas Hera cared for none. She was only set on ripping apart both Thalia and Percy, especially after being so thoroughly humiliated in the attack.

At least they had a little over a week while Leo and Hephaestus completed the repairs before the ships could move again but Annabeth wondered if any demigods would try their luck to sneak away. Her own siblings had turned to her after seeing their mother taken with such ease and many, especially their youngest, had broken down at the thought of Athena joining her sibling in the Realm of the Faded. But for now Annabeth had other concerns, questions that needed to be answered and she would get them … by any means necessary.

So with that in mind she crossed New Rome, idly noticing the quiet of the city as news of their first battle and humiliation at the hands of three opponents made it back to the city. If she remembered correctly Chiron had been the one to receive the news from Hermes but she had no idea how the old centaur took it. But if she truly knew him, then his thoughts were on the safety of the demigods far more than the vendetta of the gods. Perhaps she would speak with him tomorrow before she returned to the makeshift camp of the army but until then, she tracked down one key signature she was unfortunately familiar with.

Leaving the limits of New Rome proper but still within the barrier and bounds of Terminus she made it into the neighborhood given over to the gods after their arrival. Olympus was left all but abandoned, turned into a mountain of cold and desolation ever since Riptide was planted into the empty hearth of the throne room. She looked over the villas once meant for the demigod heroes of the prophecy, grimacing in distaste at some modifications made by the new residents.

She then stopped as she arrived at what was once the home of Jason and Piper, two friends she knew were driven away by the actions of the Olympians. Or more specifically, the manipulations of a particular few gods, all of which she was sadly very familiar with. Ignoring the horribly pink paint added to their former home she approached. Her steps were steady as she read the signature of the one she was looking for and with a flick of her wrist, erected a barrier right over the house itself.

Anti-flash, sound containment, and anti-demigod functions placed within. She slapped a hand onto a wall beside the door, a golden flare of power pouring off to engrave the series of Greek runes and stabilize the barrier needing only her power to function now. A few seconds later it was complete so she turned to the door … and kicked it clean off its hinges.

With a crash it flew back and Annabeth caught the scared squeak of the goddess within. She walked in, her every step echoing within the now dreadfully silent home as she took it in. A simple living room with L styled couch drowned under plushies of every kind, flat-screen TV playing some pointless soap, and pictures teetering on the bounds of porno decorating the walls. She took it all in within seconds before her eyes focused on her objective.

With dirty blonde hair this time around spilling over her shoulders, dulled blue eyes, paled skin, and a rather plain, if tight, shirt and jean combo, Aphrodite had never looked plainer. Even Annabeth had to admit to herself that once upon a time she dreamed and wondered what rolling in the sheets with that goddess would be like, and it got worse when she became a goddess. Never before had she thought a god's libido could be so … demanding. It made her somewhat more understanding of why gods sought out far more than their spouses, even if in the end she detested infidelity. It also increased her respect for the virginal and very _few_ faithful gods.

Infidelity. Even the thought of the word left a bad taste in her mouth and brought a shame to her like no other. Her will simply hadn't been enough and when she gave an inch, a mile was taken. Perhaps she'd been physically satisfied but it never removed the guilt or self-loathing, especially when she hid it away and ran at the only opening she was given. But the past was set and now she had to look to her future … but first she was getting every ounce of information withheld all these years from her.

As such her eyes narrowed on Aphrodite as the goddess squirmed under her gaze. She walked towards her, more of a predatory stalk, before she stood only a few feet away and leaning over the weakened goddess.

"H-Hey … Annabeth," Aphrodite greeted shakily. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much, just thought I'd stop by for a few things while the camp settles out," she replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"And h-how are things with the a-army?" the love goddess continued, squirming in her seat all the while.

' _No backbone, perfect,'_ the younger goddess thought with a near vicious internal smirk.

"Good enough. Nearly broken morale, lots of injured, and a few dead in both demigod and godly ranks but get this, the demigods losses were from friendly fire!" she returned as she leaned closer to the cowering goddess. "But I'm not here to discuss any of that, oh no, instead I have some questions for you."

"O-oh?" Aphrodite choked out trying to look curious even as her hands shook.

"What happened the week after the war's end?" Annabeth asked away, getting straight to one of her oldest questions.

Aphrodite's eyes widened for a moment before she hastily said, "Why? You know as well as I do that Percy's disappearance is a mystery to all of us."

"I'd be careful saying his name. Gods can find you pretty easy if you say their name and doing so practically invites him within the barrier," Annabeth said as she straightened up. "But no, that isn't what I mean. What I want to know is what did you lot do?"

"W-what? But we didn't do anything," the love goddess protested without meeting Annabeth's gaze.

"Are you sure? Last I checked whenever something goes to Hades with a demigod it usually involves one of you first," Annabeth pressed but Aphrodite hastily shook her head making Annabeth sigh. Looks like the goddess was going to be stubborn after all.

Pity.

Like a viper her hand lash out and wrapped around the goddess' throat before she could react. All Aphrodite could do was gasp as Annabeth easily lifted her, spun around with a single step, and slammed the goddess into the wall through her TV. The mortal equipment crumpled while the wall barely held as cracks webbed around it. Aphrodite weakly thrashed, grasping at Annabeth's hand but she held firm. Aphrodite even tried lashing out at Annabeth's face but she saw coming from a mile away and caught her wrist.

With a smirk she clenched her fist before twisting, the satisfying snap of Aphrodite's wrist joined with the pained scream bringing an almost guilty pleasure to the younger goddess. Oh how long she'd wanted to do this and so much more to the goddess that had been a thorn in her side for over a decade.

"Don't bother Aphrodite," she said with clear contempt in her voice as Aphrodite's struggles lessened. "Even before you were cursed and forcefully separated from your domains, the moment I was elevated to godhood I was stronger than you. The only reason I didn't go after you sooner was because of the threat you could be to my siblings and the council would have stepped in if I went too far against you."

"What … changed?" the goddess asked through struggled breaths.

"Everything, starting with what you did to me and Percy," she answered, giving a malicious grin as the goddess paled. "You didn't think I'd be left in the dark about that forever did you?"

"B-but-"

"I was never supposed to know right?" Annabeth interrupted and then continued before Aphrodite could even get a word in. "Funny how things go. And here I thought I was being shown all the ropes when mother taught me during that first month only to learn she purposely had to limit what she taught me in regards to godly abilities. It's the law under dear old grandad after all, can't have any new and uppity gods getting ideas no can he? But she pulled a fast one and left me with unlimited access to her library full of all sorts of interesting information." Annabeth's grin then turned into a snarl as she tightened her grip around the goddess' neck. "Granted it looks like I didn't search enough if I didn't even know we had a limited ability to affect the very reality around us such as walking on a surface where it should be empty space but no, that wasn't what really caught my interest."

At that Annabeth paused, feeling Demeter's consciousness pass over in possible curiosity but then left. It wouldn't be the first time Aphrodite got into a catfight with some goddess married to whoever Aphrodite slept with at the time. How convenient for Annabeth since Dionysus would be too lazy to even bother checking what was going on. Knowing she was in the clear she returned her attention to Aphrodite.

"Now where was I? Oh right, hidden abilities for gods. Now one particular that stuck out to me was the ability to relive our memories. At first I thought it was utter bull but after a few tries I learned that it was meant for a god to go over their own history and what happened to them. To get a better understanding or remember something long since in the past. I could even dive into my memories and re-read whatever news articles were on the morning paper when I was just a baby in my father's arms during breakfast. As long as I lived it, and saw it directly I can recall it so you can understand where I'm going with this, can't you?"

Seeing Aphrodite giving her a shaky nod.

"So you understand my surprise and anger when I first detected your presence don't you? As a demigod I wouldn't have noticed but with the senses of a god it was obvious, at least from my direct view. That moment in the volcano forge, when I was looking into his eyes, wanting nothing more than to make sure he made it out with me but I knew he wouldn't leave until he was sure to take those telchines down. A kiss that was supposed to be in the cheek for support…"

"It was love," Aphrodite interrupted only for Annabeth to pull her out of the wall only to slam her down into the floor and step on her chest.

"I didn't love him like that you bitch!" she snarled down at the goddess. "I was a hormonal, infatuated girl still trying to get over myself and the boy I'd loved for years. Percy … he was my rock, my constant in years of rapid change and uncertainty." At that point her eyes started to get watery as years of anger and sadness bubbled up. "Everything just seemed to flow easier around him, even when we butted heads because I did start to love him … as a brother. He was dependable when it came to it, honest, sweet, and loyal. He was someone that made it safe to let my guard down around, to not feel any pressure, especially when I still couldn't come to terms with what I felt for Luke … but you couldn't leave it at that."

She raised her foot and stomped it down again, making Aphrodite cry out with a cough of ichor as the floor gave out under her as tears began to trail down Annabeth's face.

"No. You couldn't help but see a miniature repeat of my mother and Poseidon, only this time, you were hoping we'd actually get together before you stopped influencing me. And then everything changed. Luke was dead so there wasn't anyone for me to run off to and Percy became the hero of Olympus. Suddenly you wanted him, didn't you?" The goddess' silence was more than telling. "Now I was in the way so you let my real feelings come back and even increased my lust when Percy was gone. How convenient that while Percy became the most desired demigod, I turned into the demigoddess several of you gods wanted as well. Hades, I bet a one point you were considering having us both but then making use of that bastard of a playboy fit right into your plans."

Annabeth gave a dry, mirthless chuckle as she shook her head.

"I have to commend you. You truly were subtle to slip past my mother and Poseidon during that whole mess and then you used my own fatal flaw against me. I slept with the sunny bastard once and that shame kept me from saying anything. There I was, frustrate, alone, confused about my emotions, and pumped full of lust until I was reunited but by then I could barely stand myself for what I did." Annabeth chocked up and she dropped to her knees, straddling Aphrodite while looking at the goddess through tears with wrathful eyes. "And then I ran like a good little coward desperately trying to keep what little pride I had intact even though I'm pretty sure a few of the seven knew what happened between me and my current _husband_ ," she said, spitting the last word with venom as potent as the blood of a hydra.

"Maybe I would have turned to loving him in that way but I know for a fact that'll never happen now. I'm sure you were told of the new protogenoi and you know he's one of them. There can be no doubt that he knows too, his eyes said as much," she said as she reached down and grabbed a handful of Aphrodite's hair to make sure she couldn't turn her face away. "I even saw him once in one of the parks, crying into Hestia's shoulder, and I remember not even being able to walk up to him then. I wish I had, maybe then I could have salvaged something with him, but I didn't and now here we are. My mother kidnapped, already down several Olympians, and the demigods might be turned into sacrificial lambs to gods who only use them so I'm going to get the truth."

Annabeth then leaned down so her face however right over the love goddess' face.

"What happened during that week? He wasn't kidnapped, that's for sure so that can only mean that you did something that made him run and if he really took after the Night, he had to have met Nyx which means Tartarus. So, what happened that he literally went to hell?" she asked with a growl.

"I can't …" Aphrodite whispered with fear in her eyes.

"Is that so? Oath on Styx then? Too scared of suffering a little pain, or is it that you're so low in power that breaking an oath might actually end you?" Annabeth asked to which Aphrodite weakly nodded. "Simple enough…"

Without preamble she slammed her fist into Aphrodite's cheek, ichor splattering with a tooth as the goddess cried out.

"Then I'll ask and you nod or shake your head. Clear?"

Aphrodite nodded through tears.

"Good girl," Annabeth muttered before clearing her thoughts and then asking, "Is it true Artemis murdered Sally and Paul before kidnapping his sister?"

Aphrodite didn't move so Annabeth reared her fist back again but then the goddess nodded quickly.

"Was it planned or a random act of spite since she owed him several times over thanks to saving her repeatedly? Nod once for the first option."

A single nod.

"Was she working alone or someone else's orders?"

Two nods.

"Who? Zeus?"

A shaky nod but Annabeth go the feeling there was more. In fact, if that happened, why didn't Poseidon raze hell over it? Sally had been his lover at one point after all unless… She paled at the thought as she looked at Aphrodite.

"D-did Poseidon have part in it?" she asked in just a whisper to which Aphrodite slowly nodded as well.

What the bloody hell was going on!? Percy got his flaw from Poseidon, so how did that turn into him not only leaving Sally alone to her death but instigating it. And Percy probably knew this? It was no wonder he wanted the Olympians dead. However, there was one question she now needed answered.

"Did my mother have any part?" she asked, hoping against hope it wasn't so.

Thank Chaos that Aphrodite shook her head. Annabeth released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Either way, now she knew. Some Olympians, at least the likes of Zeus and Poseidon with Artemis as their attack dog were responsible but it also explained the sudden divide between Hestia and Hades towards the rest of the council. However, that still left what they did after the fact but then again she already knew that answer. They went with it, out of fear, perhaps their own spite or insecurities, but regardless they did nothing against it and then Percy somehow found out and left.

Now she understood his reasons and then added with the shock of Thalia's disappearance after tearing into Artemis and Jason's disappearing with Nico. It was all falling into place and she could bet good money Jason was another new primordial, though which she didn't have the slightest idea. But now it left her with a dilemma, all revolved around what she would do now. Turn coat as well, even with the possibility that she wouldn't be welcomed into Percy's forces, or try to stay and help keep her siblings alive against a hopeless battle?

With her thoughts occupied she slowly got up and turned to leave, uncaring of the crying goddess left in her own crater. She took a few steps before pausing and glancing back at one of the goddess she hated most, especially after all she either caused or helped unfold.

"I'll only say this once Aphrodite," she said in a low and dangerous tone, getting the whimpering goddess to look at her dead in the eyes. "Leave. If you're still in this city by tomorrow morning, I don't care what anyone on the council will say … I'll kill you."

She turned away and didn't look back as the goddess continued to cry. As she left the house she stopped funneling any power into the runes keeping her particular barrier up. She moved on, moving further from the city as she approached the limits of Terminus' barrier keeping all gods from flashing in and out of the city. The moment she was out of the limits she disappeared in a golden flash … only to reappear on a familiar sandy beach.

She glanced along the white sands and rolling waves before looking to the small hills just further in and the rather large villa. By her own design of course as a wedding gift for Leo and Calypso, their private island of Ogygia, now under their strict control and only locatable through their permission. She walked up the sandy trail as the cool breeze swept by, making quick work of getting to the main foyer while also snapping her fingers to erase any traces of ichor or tear stains. The warm torches made for a toasty atmosphere as she glanced inside, spotting a few of the local nymphs and wind spirits cleaning for the evening.

Those that noticed her bowed but she waved it off and moved further towards the hall leading to the guest rooms. As she walked she glanced at some of the paintings or metal sculptures Leo and Calypso used for decorations, snorting at some of the more … odd ones. Honestly after all this time she wasn't sure how Calypso could deal with Leo and his particular tastes in art. Shaking her head of the amusing thoughts she looked to the guest room given to her and reached for the handle but then heard some steps behind her.

She glanced back to see Calypso dressed in a rather flattering night gown just barely on the side of decent. The nymph turned goddess looked at Annabeth with a faint smile, even though she could see the question in her eyes.

"He's fine," she said, getting a sigh of relief from Calypso. Leo had been too busy with repairs to get an IM to his wife and Annabeth doubted he was really mentioned in Hermes' report to Chiron.

"Is it true about Lady Athena?" she asked, getting a nod from Annabeth.

"Yes and that wasn't the only thing," she replied. Seeing the questioning look she elaborated. "I learned some things … things that could change this very war by the head."

"What?" Calypso asked with clear worry in her eyes.

"I'll explain tomorrow," she replied, feeling too tired emotionally after the confrontation with Aphrodite. "So, did she behave?"

Thankfully Calypso didn't press the issue before she glanced at the door behind Annabeth with a smile. "Like there was any doubt she would," she said, getting an equally warm smile from Annabeth.

However, before they could continue Annabeth heard the door behind her open and turned to see an utterly adorable view. A little girl, no older than four at most and barely tall enough for her head to reach Annabeth's waist. She had warm, golden blonde hair spilling down to her back, blue-grey eyes filled to the brim with curiosity and the slightest hint of mischief. Dressed in light green pajamas with dolphins on it and clutching an owl plushy while sleepily rubbing one of her eyes.

"Mommy?" she asked softly as she looked up at Annabeth.

"Cloelia," Annabeth replied as she quickly scooped up her daughter into her arms and held her. "I thought you were asleep?"

"You were close," she replied as she rested her head against Annabeth's shoulder.

"Doesn't matter, little goddesses should go to sleep on time," Annabeth admonished lightly only for her daughter to pout cutely and snuggle closer in an attempt to weasel out of any scolding, minimal though it may be.

Calypso didn't help matters by giggling to which Annabeth shot her a mock glare before sighing in defeat. If there was one person that could get away with just about anything with Annabeth, it was her daughter. The little light of her eyes and the only reason she still hasn't demanded a divorce from the sunny bastard. In her arms was the only thing he'd ever given her that truly matters and something she would never regret. Even if her daughter was cursed, or in Annabeth's opinion, blessed.

It wasn't known why but rarely, some gods were born unable to develop as quickly as gods normally due. Most god reached their adulthood in five years after rapidly going from newborns to toddlers in a matter of days, if not already born as adults like some cases. Cloelia was one such rarity, growing at the mortal rate until she hits around her mid-twenties, by which point she would stop aging altogether. It also meant it would be some time before she was old and stable enough to acquire domains of her own which was why her case was seen as cursed by many.

In Annabeth's opinion it gave her the proper chance to really be a mother and actually raise her daughter. It also meant Annabeth could watch any interactions and influence Apollo tried to have with his daughter but between herself, her mother, and her few friends such as Calypso, Cloelia was well taken care of.

"Well then, come on sleepy head, it's time for bed," Annabeth said before giving a quick goodnight to Calypso and stepping into the room.

"Don't want to," Cloelia tried to protest making Annabeth sigh. Her daughter didn't fall far from the tree, in this case, being stubborn.

"How about a quick bedtime story?" Annabeth asked as she snapped her fingers, changing her clothes to mere cotton panties and an oversized shirt while she walked to the bed and started to tuck in with Cloelia in her arms.

"About the Hero of Olympus?" she asked with big eyes as she cuddled her owl plushy.

Annabeth's mind flashed back to the very battle that happened yesterday night. Eyes of black flames and icy pupils looking back at her own, that sword stopping just before it could impale her straight through the heart. ' _I wonder … does he know about her?'_ she wondered, guessing that it might have played into him staying his hand … though that left whether he knew _everything_ concerning her daughter, especially something only Annabeth herself knew.

"Sure," she said after a pause with a giggle, knowing her daughter absolutely loved anything relating to her favorite hero, firmly believing him to be the greatest ever and even once declaring the only way he could be cooler was if he had been a girl and still did everything he did.

Her agreement got a little cheer out of her daughter, looking far more awake than she should be but hopefully she'd be satisfied with a short one. Chaos help her. Her daughter was a good little Percy fangirl, granted he was one of the heroes Annabeth mainly told her stories about along with Thalia, Nico, and the others of the seven. Annabeth didn't really have a problem with it though considering it bugged Apollo whenever he spent time with her since Cloelia would go one about Percy, Thalia, and other heroes of that generation.

After all, what's wrong with a girl idolizing her godfather?

* * *

 **Author's Rant: Boom! There it is! This chapter was smacking you across the face with a tuna made of feels and I have no regrets!**

 **Let me hear your thoughts, a pleasure, Jbubu**


	35. Temptations

**A hefty chapter for you all. I know, late but bear with me. I'm moving, starting a new job, and a whole other load to it all but I'll work my best here and this chapter really needed some working out. Sorta filler chapter, rounding off a few things or closing others. Tricky part about harem stories, getting each member enough time for the good bits and this is an M story so yeah, look forward to that!**

 **Note: Just to make sure it's clear, Cloelia is NOT Percy's child. My bad if I implied it.**

 **Disclaimer; I own only plot.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Percy, Same Night**

The Primordial God of Darkness and Cold sighed softly as he looked at the silvery orbs floating around him, his gaze drifting from one to the other at random. He was in his office, sitting next to his viewing tree molded after a Weeping Willow. This time around, he changed the view from that of his wolves around the world to displaying dreams, specifically, of the demigods consisting of the attacking forces.

What he saw weighed heavily on him.

The majority of them were nightmares joined with prayers for this to be over. He'd seen himself several times over from their view point. The fear, uncertainty, and near hopelessness that pervaded throughout honestly shook him. To be the source, the reason for these fears felt like hundreds of little needles slowly piercing his flesh and digging their way to his heart.

Now more than ever he saw just how different he had become as time passed. Sure, someone could tell you that they noticed a change, they could comment on how and what it made them feel, but it was all shallow and vague at best. But to see it through the fears and nightmares of others, especially the few that did know him to some extent, made the comparisons that much more striking. He could only hope that his words got to them and that they understood that he wasn't targeting them.

But would that even help? Would the Olympians let them go if they wished to return home and be at peace? Unlikely. From his own experience and his battles against Luke, he knew all too well how some, if many, gods viewed their children and demigods in general. Expendable tools at worst, high class show dogs at best. A demigod's life was to live, survive in a world without so much as clue and luck on whether they could be found by a satyr or demigod team, train, battle, and achieve some vague form of glory before meeting their end facing some monster or maybe even another irate god.

A pyrrhic victory at best.

How many demigods died without even being acknowledged by their parent? How many became sacrificial lambs to appease dissent between godly politics? The list went on and on throughout the centuries, creating a mindset and doctrine to limit and control demigods. They couldn't do anything, couldn't break free … until him.

He broke the mold first and openly defied everything about Olympus, fighting for his own not because of glory or the will of the gods, but to protect his own. And he kept doing it until he met Nyx, and she gave him the chance to truly strike out and change when he dealt with Gaea. Now he was the primordial, the being beyond the controls of fate and only answerable to one higher being.

And now he was the god wanting to help those that once stood at his side as comrades, but how could he go about it now? Right now he was the enemy to many, especially children of Ares/Mars, while others were simply too scared of him, seeing him as the greater danger than the ways of the Olympians they've known. Not to mention the skepticism of those regarding his offer to allow neutrality and to be completely fair, he hadn't shown any reason to believe it other than the fact that he once was a demigod. Yet so were Hermes and Dionysus once upon a time.

He sighed again frustration at the thought while waving his hand, the floating orbs returning to their places on the viewing tree. He leaned back against his icy chair, his gaze falling on the frozen pond and waterfall across from his. The cool silence of his mindscape was usually relaxing, giving him time to step back and think about the last few days. Sometimes he would spend hours meditating and returning to his own memories from the time of being a demigod.

It was a bittersweet experience at times. Seeing himself and his trusted friends, their struggles and achievements … the manipulations of some gods. With Nyx assisting him since he wasn't a true god yet, he remembered the first time he discovered _her_ interference and the rage that overtook him. His vision had been nothing but a red haze until he came to, lying down with his head on Nyx's lap, the pair in the middle of a devastated valley within Tartarus, his Voidfire hungrily eating at any monsters and plants that managed to get caught in the crossfire. Even Nyx's battle armor had been dented and burnt at points but she waved off his apologies.

In the end Nyx had him repeat the exercise, testing him to keep his control to the best that he could. He was only marginally successful and having become a god, those emotions had come back with a vengeance at times. But he was gradually working on maintaining his equilibrium and from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one. Jason's earlier near explosion was proof enough of that but luckily he'd been there to stop anything from happening. Maybe he could go and have a talk with him about it? Unless of course Jason preferred going to Amphitrite, considering everyone knew how often Jason visited her.

However, before he could further muse on the subject his head swiveled to the side as the shadows started to condense and shape up. In a manner of seconds they disperse to reveal one of his _Shadows_ , Medusa. Dressed in her usual short black, strapless dress, elbow length gloves, and thigh high boots with her long raven locks trailing behind her, even the red puffiness of her eyes did little to detract from her allure. But it was those red eyes and the sniffles that pulled him into action, knowing where she had just come from.

Without a word he stood up, casually dusting off some snow from his pants and coat before he stepped up to her. In one motion he enveloped her in his arms as she rested her head against his chest, her own arms quickly wrapping around his torso. Having her in his arms he lightly nuzzled against the top of her head, before whispering in his warmest tone, "It's okay."

Two words.

That was all it took from him before her entire body shook as she let out a heartbreaking sob. He didn't do anything to stop her, merely held her as she started to cry in earnest. The frustrations, pain, and fears of millennia came rolling out with every drop that hit his coat as his wings came out before slowly curling around them, holding Medusa closer to him. For what felt like hours they remained there, one acting as a pillar of support and safety while the other let down every wall and protection, breathing in the equal parts of vulnerability and freedom.

To have finally confronted the source of her greatest pain after so long of wishful thinking. To feel as though she could truly begin to step into the future after being tied to the past for so long, and to be in the arms of her master and king. He could feel all those emotions rolling off his guardian as he held her patiently, not a hint of judgement coming from him for her display. After all, was it not so long ago that he was in that positon with Hestia, Nyx, and Rhea being there for him?

Then he would be there for his own, as he always had, be it trivial to life changing. So with that in mind he listened carefully as her cries tapered off slowly, turning into small sobs and admittedly cute hiccups. Feeling her calming down he thought only for a moment later, a couch of obsidian topped with cushions of soft snow to form behind him. Gently pulling her with him, he sat back and wasn't surprised that Medusa followed by curling up in his lap, her head still resting against his chest. Soon enough even the sobs ceased and the pair remained silent for some time, merely taking comfort in each other's presence until Percy spoke up.

"How are you feeling now?"

Medusa glanced up at him, a tear or two still trailing down his cheek which he was quick to thumb away.

"Better," she replied softly as she leaned into his touch. "I just… It was hard to see her like that after some many years. I just couldn't bring myself to continue after a while … so I said my piece and left."

"I'll bet," he commented lightly. "But you know what?" His reply was her curious gaze so he smiled gently as he continued. "I proud that you kept yourself under control after all is said and done. That you didn't let yourself get overwhelmed with the anger you've held for so long."

"But I still hurt her," Medusa protested.

"And that is understandable, the difference being that you stopped when you could have done so much more. I can tell that you've finally let go," he said softly before murmuring lowly. "That's more than I can do at the moment."

Medusa smiled sadly at him as he said that before she leaned closer, her soft lips lightly pressing against his own as he accepted the display of affection and comfort. It was a gentle contact, little more than a back and forth of lips and nibbles as he held her close. Soon the embrace broke as Percy rested his forehead against hers, looking into her lovely green eyes, seeing the love and devotion she had for him shining in them. Honestly what would he do without her and the others?

He cared for each and every one of them and would do anything to keep them safe and happy, even at times if he doubted he was worthy of their care. Granted whenever he voiced that thought Rhea and Hestia would take turns clocking him over the head and then spend the night showing _exactly_ how they felt about him, and he them. He chuckled to himself remembering the last time that happened before he adjusted Medusa as she leaned against him and released a content sigh.

The day's toils had finally caught up to her and she looked like she was ready to rest. Knowing he'd been designated as the chosen rest spot he quickly got comfortable as well, idly sending a message to his wives letting them know where he was. It wouldn't be the first time he'd spent a night in his office and he sure they would understand why. Besides, tonight we would rest and tomorrow, more preparations for the next movement were to be done…

* * *

 **Next Morning**

"… W-wow," Calypso said softly as she looked back at Annabeth, her face one of shock and disbelief.

"Yeah," Annabeth sighed as she sipped at the last dregs of her morning coffee, her gaze moving down from the villa patio to the beach further down as Cloelia played with some nymphs, her pig-tails flapping in the breeze. "And I plan on taking my threat to heart if I find her in the city."

"But what about the council?" Calypso asked nervously as she set her own tea cup down.

"What about them?" Annabeth retorted with a raised eyebrow. "Ares is gone, my husband can't come to her defense unless he wants me to castrate him, Dionysus doesn't have the backbone, Hermes will be indifferent, and the rest of the council either hates her or doesn't really care about her beyond a quick fuck."

"That a rather crude … and accurate way of putting it," Calypso replied with a sigh before glancing down to the playing godling as well. "But are you sure it would do with everything going on? Her children are the most numerous in both camps and they surely wouldn't take their mother's execution lying down."

Annabeth snorted before saying, "Sounds horrible but they don't have any on the caliber of 'threats' since Piper so I'm pretty sure I'm safe." She then paused and murmured softly, "If I even stay that is…"

"You mean …" Calypso said in a whisper, paling slightly as Annabeth looked back at her with steely eyes. "B-but that's treason Annabeth."

"I don't remember swearing loyalty in any recent vows," Annabeth muttered. "And besides, they've said time and time again that the only ones that need to fear are Olympians themselves and last time I checked, I'm still classed as a _minor_ goddess."

"But what about Cloelia?" Calypso asked as she leaned forward.

"It's because of Cloelia that I'm thinking about it more and more. I saw them, the way they fought and overpowered any of us even while outnumbered. I know for a fact that they weren't even dipping into their real power only because the demigods would have gotten caught in the crossfire. We. Can't. Win." Annabeth said as her grip tightened on her mug. "So if that means turning traitor and abandoning the remaining Olympians to their fate so I can get my daughter to safety, so be it."

Annabeth then stood up, the mug disappearing in a golden flash as the young goddess glanced down at the beach and her daughter. A soft smile played on her lips before her features tightened as she looked to Calypso again.

"I'll be saying my goodbyes before heading back to New Rome to speak with Chiron and see how the city is holding up, then heading to the site of the Argos." She then turned her back, almost murmuring the next part and barely being caught by Calypso. "… and then I'm heading north alone."

Before Calypso could say anything on that Annabeth moved away, swiftly approaching her daughter. The nymph turned goddess watched on as the godling quickly noticed her mother's approach, a beaming smile on her face as she all but launched herself into her mother's arms. Annabeth caught the little blonde missile with easy, spinning her around and peppering her face with kisses much to Cloelia's giggling delight. Calypso watched silently as Annabeth set her daughter down before dropping to a knee and letting her know that she was leaving again.

It was easy to see the little girl's sadness and want for her mother to stay but being a smart little one she could understand enough to know Annabeth simply had to go. Through some tears and a last kiss on the forehead Annabeth left in a golden flash, the nymphs waiting by quickly coming to get Cloelia's attention away from her mother's departure. Calypso sighed as she stood as well and turned back into the villa, walking in and towards the kitchen, her mind on Annabeth's last words. Once she arrived at the kitchen she paused at the sink, her fingers idly tapping in Morse Code as she wondered how things would progress now?

Seeing Annabeth actually considering the idea of turning sides, even if solely for the purpose of keeping her daughter safe, was rather unnerving. Annabeth had always been one of the firmer gods, being sure footed and able to make sound judgment even in tense conditions. Now with the revelations about Percy left Calypso with much doubt about the Olympians and this war. A war that had also dragged her husband into it when he didn't need to be part of it for any reason, just like the demigods being pulled into it as well.

She still remembered the days after her final release and reuniting with Leo even though Percy had just disappeared. How the millennia of solitude and suffering, being forced to helplessly fall in love with every hero that found her island only for them to have to leave for a greater destiny, leaving her heartbroken every time. All her tears, nights spent tossing and turning, each morning wondering what if, only for her sudden release and the Olympians _causally_ dismissing her to do as she wished. As if her release hadn't been them being forced by their savior but some hidden goodness of their hearts.

If all her unjust suffering could be brushed off with such ease, then just how many other wrongfully punished were also disregarded and forgotten without so much as a "we're sorry" from the council. Now it seemed that their forgotten misdeeds were coming to haunt them and debts were finally being collected with interest. She was under no illusion that much of the council's actions had been absolutely horrendous and though she didn't voice it, she was glad Ares was out of the picture. It was a small mercy that the war god hadn't been born yet or made aware of the location of Ogygia … Chaos knows what he would have done to her otherwise. Glancing out the window over the sink she caught a direct line of sight to Cloelia, watching as she played with two nymphs as they splashed together in the shallows of the beach.

Her goddaughter.

It had been an unexpected surprise when Annabeth named her as such but in retrospect, perhaps not. Annabeth had become distant from the other demigods in the recent years and since Nico, Jason, and Thalia all disappeared only months into Annabeth's term, they hadn't been there for the birth. Annabeth had also been incredibly careful about who she would entrust her daughter to should she be absent for whatever reason and with the track records of the Olympians, her list of potential candidates had been small but Calypso had still been touched that she was the first choice amongst those candidates.

However she always wondered why was it that Annabeth never named a godfather and wouldn't let Apollo pick one either. Granted even while married and with a kid, Apollo was still firmly in the frat boy mentality so it wasn't really a surprise his opinion was rarely considered in regards to his child though one would think he'd be far more attentive to his first godly child. It seemed that millennia of a certain mindset couldn't be undone in a small decade.

Regardless of the gods and their shortcomings, now Calypso had to think beyond them or herself and consider her responsibility to the demigods that sought her out for guidance as well as the safety of her goddaughter. If given the chance, would she take the opportunity to not only leave New Rome and the Olympians behind while taking Cloelia with her? What would her husband say? Could she even convince him as well?

All those thoughts and questions plagued her mind as she continued to watch as her goddaughter played, blissfully ignorant of the complexity of the world around her…

* * *

 **Noon, Raven**

A soft knock announced her presence as she looked at the simple door separating her from her newest friend and possible future teammate. Raven's ears picked up the light shuffling of feet as the former daughter of Aphrodite came to the door on the other side and after a few seconds, slowly opened up.

"Hello," Piper greeted softly with a small smile.

"Hey," Raven said with a returned gesture before Piper allowed her in.

Piper had been staying at small hotel, one of the first opened up in the city, close to the gates leading to the third sector of the mountain where the gods worked in their temples with their domains. Over the last few days Raven had taken to showing Piper around the city, letting the demigoddess adjust and come to terms with the possibilities available to her should she decide to agree and swear her loyalty to Raven's mom. Granted Piper was still iffy about the whole thing, especially when Raven went into more detail on what some of her duties entail.

Gory though it may be, but necessary to protect Love and Innocence. There was a reason that they hunted specifically after the Black Listed, things no longer deserving of the moniker 'person' or 'human' anymore. Sick, twisted things that didn't just perform heinous crimes against other living beings but relished in that pain and harm, didn't feel the slightest hint of regret or even apathy during their acts. They couldn't and wouldn't ever stop until put down. However, it was one specific argument that brought Piper around to really consider the offer.

Where once she refused to assist in the rescue of demigods, mostly because she didn't believe tossing them into an army, filling their heads with all that bull about glory and sacrifice was worth it. To her it felt more like she was giving a false hope before wiping her hands of them, having only delayed their deaths. That and she'd just wanted peace and quiet after the war's end which contrasted to what Jason, still a duty bound Roman, wanted. That led to their gradual distance which both Zeus and Aphrodite happily took advantage of and lead only to further pain.

But if Piper joined Raven in her task, it wouldn't be just demigods that needed help but mortals as well and it wasn't for the purpose of joining an army of any sort. It was to actually save lives and cut down the internal plagues humanity tried to ignore about itself. She would be _doing_ something other than remain stagnant as her father's agent. And looking at the adult demigoddess, Raven could tell that such thoughts had been crossing her mind repeatedly in the last few days.

"So … how are you feeling?" Raven asked after taking a seat next to the bed while Piper sat on it, her gaze only idly taking the rather simple but comfortable room in.

She knew Piper was still shaken after what happened with Jason and Raven had done her best to keep the two separate while each managed themselves. Hell, even she had been rather scared when Jason's aura had flared up like that and she knew she wasn't the one in danger.

"I'm okay," Piper replied with only a slight hint of hesitation.

Raven just stared at her silently, using just the slightest trace of her abilities to easily tell that answer wasn't completely honest. It didn't take long for Piper to cave though, ducking her head slightly as she looked away. Then, ever so softly she mumbled out, "Okay … I'm a little scared."

"Of?" Raven asked, already knowing where this was going.

"Jason," she replied in a near whisper before looking at Raven. "I mean, back there when he almost … exploded. I swear it was like all the pressure of the sky just fell on me and even trying to look at him stung." She then paused as she took a shuddering breathe. "I felt so small and insignificant but at the same time it was all my regrets just came back. I was just utterly helpless and what made it worse was knowing it was Jason looking at me like that … just like on that day."

Raven sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, thinking up ways to calm Piper down. She knew there was still quite a bit her uncle and Piper would need to hash out, otherwise they would be walking circles around the issue and that simply wouldn't do if Piper became a servant of Raven's mother. Granted she knew her uncle had far more anger to deal with considering that it was only a relatively small part that had to with Piper. At the end she had been the means used against him but not intentionally on her part even if she did give in to Apollo's advances and her mother's word. Friendship was likely out of the question between the two, but some sort of closure and civility were hopefully within reach.

With that in mind Raven watched the demigoddess carefully, wondering how exactly she could go about helping Piper speak to Jason in a hopefully civil setting…

* * *

 **Andromeda, That Evening**

The goddess sighed as she made her way to a familiar hall containing her current ward or in other terms, prisoner. Honestly a part of her didn't want to do this but there was no other way. Gods like Athena were as proud as they were stubborn, especially after going millennia without anyone pointing out their flaws without the chance of retaliation. Now though she had Athena with her back against the wall and it was time to face the music otherwise … well, plenty of deities were still of a mind to make her fade rather than put in the effort to try and help her.

Still, her king had voted in favor of Andromeda's plan and so managed to move opinions enough to give Andy her chance to do this. Besides, Andy understood that while killing Athena outright might give Medusa and Arachne some closure, it would still fall short in the end. Now at least the two pseudo-goddess had left Athena's room with an almost lighter step to them, having gotten countless years of grief and sorrow off their chests. Andy had also been right when she checked both guardians and saw that neither truly had the desire to kill the goddess.

Maybe at one point they did but after years of support and growth, they were almost free of that trauma from so long ago. Shaking her head of those thoughts she moved beyond the hallways leading to the primordial offices and instead went on to the throne room. Once past the actual doorway her every step echoed as she grew in size. Soon toping 100 feet in height she went towards her throne and sat down with the grace that only a deity could. Upon connecting she was swamped with all sorts of information from the world. Love being born or dying, in every type and variety, from the most innocent to the obsessive and vile. Desires that mortals would link to the sins so feared throughout the ages along with pure and benign intentions.

New life like little candles springing forth only to match each life snuffed away. It was a constant struggle of push and pull on her godly mind, something that would have ripped apart anything lesser. She gave an irritated sigh as she rubbed her temple, stemming down the flow of information and wondering just when she could prepare to send Raven out again. It weighed heavily on her mind, sending her own daughter out to see and face such filth but that was curbed by knowing that her daughter was also akin to an angel for those she rescued from their fates.

Still, she hoped that one episode with the trade ring was just that a hiccup but then again that was the risk with creating life through their own blood; new and unexpected changes. She already figured out more or less what abilities she would grant within her own blessings to pass on if Piper accepted, though Raven's shadow travel abilities, senses, and increased strength during the night would be exclusive to her as Percy's daughter. Although, if she managed to 'marry' before swearing Piper in, then as a consort and wife of the Primordial of Night and so forth, she could give a limited degree of those same abilities to her guardians.

The thought of marriage though got her distracted as she started to squirm slightly in her throne as a slight heat built up within her. Over a month had passed since her 'punishment' began under the watch of Rhea and Hestia. Several sessions of spanking, being denied the chance to consummate with Percy, and even having to listen in once while being chained to her own bed so she couldn't relieve herself. It was maddening!

In the last week she'd also noticed that sometimes her queens and king would give her such intense looks she had to blush and shy away every time she caught them and then they would _smirk_. If she had been a lesser woman she would have jumped one or all three of them already, possible audiences be damned! And literally feeling the sheer levels of love, desire, and passion radiating off the three was driving her into a near frenzy. Seeing Percy go into his dominating Perseus mentality the other day had nearly been the straw to break the camel's back. The only reason it didn't was because her own motherly instinct to protect Raven, who had been in the attack zone, overrode everything else.

"I just want my punishment over already!" she whined while lightly kicking her feet.

"Oh, but the punishment hasn't even gotten to the good part yet."

Andromeda's eyes snapped open to find the owner of the voice, having not even noticed their approach. However the moment she saw the voice owner and her company, Andy's eyes widened to their limit, her jaw dropping as well.

"Oh. My. Chaos," she said as her cheeks nearly burst with the platinum ichor pooling underneath.

At the entrance of the throne room stood Rhea and Hestia but dressed in a way Andy could have only dreamed. Rhea stood with what had to be the tightest leather corset on the planet, pushing up her already impressive bosom together in such a way that Andy marveled how the corset was still intact. At her waist was an equally tight fit skirt that could be classed as a belt displaying the hips of Mother Nature herself and giving way to legs clad in thigh high, tall-heeled boots. Black gloves reaching elbows completed her assemble as Rhea looked at her like a lioness about to go in for the kill, her narrowed eyes of gold and emerald echoing the sheer _hunger_ underneath.

That look alone already had Andromeda nearly panting as all sorts of shivers went through her body. Then her eyes turned to Hestia.

The draconic goddess seemed to decide on showing even more skin, dressed in red leather booty shorts and a bikini top that just _squeezed_ her equally delectable bust in. A garter belt and tights reaching her upper thighs, flaming red heels, some sort of chain or rope tied at her waist, and a choker completed her look. Narrow slight eyes, crimson flames dancing within, and an almost alien air of primal dominance seemed to ooze off the goddess as she regarded Andromeda like a prized jewel about to be added to the dragon's hoard.

"If this is a dream and someone wakes me up, I'll personally hand feed them their own genitals," she mumbled as her entire body seemed to erupt with heat and want. The only thing that could make this better was her king being present as well.

* * *

 **Lemon! If you don't want, skip ahead!**

* * *

Rhea gave her that damned (read: sexy) smirk again as she stalked forward, her hips rolling with her stride as Hestia followed close behind. Andy wasn't sure where to take her eyes while at the same time trying to memorize every inch of displayed skin, her own tongue darting out to wet her lips. Her excitement was building as her queens and future wives got tantalizingly closer until they were only a few meters (at their size comparable to mere inches) away, their feral eyes boring into her.

"You know," Rhea began as she leaned closer, laying her hands on the hand rests of her throne. "If you're going to be _our_ wife, it's only fair each of us takes a first from you of some sort." She then leaned even closer, her breath caressing over Andy's lips. "And Percy's already got your virginity as his so Hestia and I already decided what we'd take … not to mention we have to make sure you're up to snuff."

Without further ado Rhea closed the distance and kissed Andy, claiming her lips with such fervor and hunger that it left the love goddess breathless within moments. She could feel the sharp tips of Rhea's fangs with every little nibble making her whimper at times as she soon submitted entirely to the kiss. Her hand started to search and reach around Rhea's body. However, before she could reach for Rhea's delectable pillows she felt her hands restrained be a pair of hands each.

Rhea then broke the kiss and smirked down as Andy barely held back a needy whine.

"Now, now," Rhea hummed as she shared a glance with Hestia. "Just be a little patient and we'll make you feel _very_ good," she finished with a purr that made Andy's entire body shiver.

As Rhea pulled back Hestia suddenly closed in and gave Andy a searing kiss, literal steam wafting off her as Andy returned it eagerly while feeling her corset open up as her shirt suddenly disappeared. She could barely even gasp as she felt the hands of both her queens exploring her bosom (the largest of the council), squeezing and fondling as Andy started to mewl under the treatment. She felt Rhea's kisses trail down her collar bone and to her chest as Hestia continued to dominate the kiss.

All too soon she felt a pair of lips take in her left nipple making her breath hitch as she pulled back and looked down to see Rhea's feral eyes looking back to her. Her queen smirked as she pulled back just enough for Andromeda to watch in fascination as Rhea's tongue darted out to flick at her erect, pink nipple before taking the entire thing back into her mouth. Then she felt Hestia follow by example and take her right nipple in though it made Andy hiss in a mix of pleasure and slight stinging. Hestia's fangs and the heat of her touch drove all sorts of sensations through Andy's body as she panted and squirmed as her queens lavished attention onto her.

"Rhea, Hestia …" Andy moaned softly as she cradled both their heads to pull them closer.

She could feel Rhea giggle into her chest before her queen pulled back only to give Andy another light kiss. Then her queen leaned back enough to look down at Andy, her hand trailing down and under Andy's skirt before making the love goddess gasp as her fingers grazed against the wet spot of her panties.

"Now let's see how that pretty little mouth can do," she purred as she took a step back and turned her back to Andy and Hestia.

Then, ever so slowly Rhea started to sway her hips as she started to pull her micro skirt down, sensually bending over while glancing back. The show was so enticing even Hestia had stopped to enjoy as well and Andy was almost vibrating from the sheer lust and want coming from the goddess for each other and her. Soon the skirt hit the floor and showed that Rhea had been commando underneath. Andy couldn't suppress the moan of want seeing Rhea's beautiful, lightly bronzed sex already dripping with the sweetest honey.

With her little show complete Rhea sashayed her way to her throne, both Andy's and Hestia's eyes locked on her hips and bubbly rear. With equal parts grace and sexiness Rhea took a seat, legs imperiously spread and looked at Andy expectantly.

"Well?" Rhea asked in a haughty tone, one delicate eyebrow raised as she waited. Then, with one finger raised and then curled in Rhea spoke with a near growl to her voice. "Come."

Andy wasn't sure who whimpered first, her or Hestia, all she knew is before she knew it both Hestia and herself were kneeling between Rhea's legs and looked at her submissively and waiting for further direction. She knew herself to be a complete submissive similar to Hestia, though the latter goddess could get bold when encouraged by their king or fellow queen whereas Rhea was a natural switch who only submitted to her king, a natural dominant. But right now, she and Hestia were putty in Rhea's hands.

Looking up at her queen Andy smiled almost shyly making Rhea coo at her before the nature goddess caressed her cheek and encouraged her closer. Taking notice of what she wanted Andy eagerly leaned closer to Rhea's sex, almost studying the puffy lips before she gave a tentative kiss. Judging by the gasp and pleased purr she knew Rhea enjoyed it so she got bolder, adding more, deeper kisses all along Rhea's honey pot. Soon enough the kisses turned into teasing licks, her tongue occasionally crossing with Hestia's as the draconic goddess joined in as well much to Rhea's pleasure.

Rhea held both their heads closer as she panted and mewled while Andy and Hestia got more excited by the minute before Rhea pulled Hestia up. Andy didn't bother looking and instead took a firmer spot, grabbing onto Rhea's thighs as she continued to eat her queen out. A part of her still remembered that they were in the throne room in the middle of the day but at this point she just didn't give a damn. However a sharp gasp and long moan drew her attention up even as she continued licking.

The sight that greeted her only turned her on more. It was Hestia sitting on the arm rest of Rhea's throne, sans leather booty shorts, her head thrown back as Rhea ate her out, her fingers diving in and out of Hestia's snatch. Andy desperately wanted a taste too but focused on her given task and attacked Rhea vigorously, using her innate skills to bring the nature goddess to her climax faster. It seemed to be working as Andy could feel Rhea's core heating up and tightening, her hips rolling with more need against Andy's lips. Seeing Rhea's little pearl appearing from under its hood Andy latched onto it and sucked hard as her fingers thrust into Rhea.

That was the trigger as Rhea suddenly arched her back with a loud moan as she came Andy's fingers, Hestia following close behind, squealing Rhea's name all the while. After a few more pumps to keep Rhea in her high Andy withdrew her fingers and gave them a quick like, moaning at the taste before sitting back on her knees and watching as Hestia basically fell into Rhea's lap, the duo sucking face as Andy's heat became almost unbearable. Her free hand lowered to reach under her skirt and touch herself through her panties at the sight, wondering when it would be her turn to be relieved. She was so caught up with the show before her that she didn't even notice the new arrival until that deep, commanding voice spoke in a throaty growl.

"Well what do we have here?"

Snapping her head around, her eyes locked with writhing black flames and icy pupils narrowed to near slits. Her entire body seemed to melt under that look as her blush increased, her eyes looking up at him as her king approach with a strong gate, his sheer presence making her submit without so much as a command. She could hear Rhea and Hestia as they joined Andy at her sides, all three looking up as Percy stopped before them.

"My lovely wives," he whispered as he leaned down, caressing their cheeks as they all blushed under his attention and touch. He then chuckled as he straightened up and looked at them with a mix of amusement and lust. "Really? Sex in the throne room in broad daylight, do I even need to guess who's idea this was?" he asked as his eyes turned to Rhea, making the goddess squirm under his gaze with an increased blush.

He chuckled again as he placed a hand under her chin to make sure she was looking at him while flicking his free hand. Andy felt a barrier pass over them too quick for her to analyze the functions, though probably it carried all the works but she really didn't care at this point. What she did care about was how Percy's attention shifted to her after having ravished Rhea's mouth, leaving the goddess a flushed and panting mess, his eyes boring into her.

"Come here my little bird," he whispered sternly and yet so softly, making her heart melt even as her body complied, standing up before him.

Only now did she remember she was almost naked before him for the first time and suddenly felt the need to cover up after being found in such a state not caused by him, shying down under his gaze. That only got a chuckle from him as he moved before she could, gently hugging her as his breath tickled her ear while his coat of darkness cooled her burning flesh at the touch making her shiver at the contrast of feeling.

"Don't worry," he said gently to her as he leaned back so his face rested just in front of hers. "There's no need to hide from me." He then turned his attention to the still kneeling Rhea and Hestia, smirking all the while. "Enjoy," was all he said before he captured Andy's lips in a hungry kiss.

She returned it with fervor, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck. She felt his coat and shirt dissolve into shadows as she pulled her body against his, moaning as his hands explored her curves, mapping every inch of her. But then she felt two soft hands caress her thighs and slowly pull her pink panties down before a hot tongue was introduced to her womanhood making her gasp. Percy groaned as he broke the kiss and both looked down to see Rhea and Hestia between them. Andy watched in fascination as Rhea took Percy's impressive length down without hesitation, her gold and emerald eyes looking up at him with glints of mischief and desire.

As for Hestia, Andy could only see the top of her head with her skirt pushed aside but it didn't stop her from moaning as she clutched the goddess' head closer, grounding her aching sex against Hestia's tender lips. Between the goddess attending to her and the tender mercies under the touch of Percy's hands and lips, Andy felt like she was in cloud nine, her every desire finally coming to fruition. She felt her heat building and had her breath hitch as she felt Hestia slip in one finger, teasing her tight opening just enough to build her coming orgasm but just shy of actually causing it.

She could also hear the slurping sounds as Rhea continued to lavish her king with her affections, feel the deep rumbles and groans vibrating from Percy's chest to her own, the want and need in his hands as they grasped at her back and rear. It was almost sensory overload and yet Percy continued on, dominating her, claiming her just like he had with Rhea and Hestia, and she loved every moment of it. Minutes-or was it seconds?-later Percy pulled back, his arms and Hestia being the only reason Andy could even stand at this point. Without preamble her groped her rear and picked her up making her squeak as her legs reacted and wrapped around his waist.

He smirked at her questioning gaze before he walked to his throne, leaving her to idly notice that Hestia and Rhea were following behind while getting rid of their remaining clothes. It didn't take long however for Rhea to notice the wetness on Hestia's chin and cheeks before the lioness continued her assault on the draconic goddess. However she was broken away from the arousing sight when Percy turned around and sat on his throne, her soft rear falling decidedly on his lap as he looked into her eyes.

Only now did she truly become aware of the erect and well lubed muscle pressing against her navel making her glance down with a new blush at seeing his rigid member standing proud and ready. She swallowed thickly, almost wondering when her skirt had disappeared to reveal her tiny bit of trimmed hair and swollen sex lips resting against the base of his spear.

"Are you ready?" he asked in a far gentler tone that he'd used before as she looked at him.

His eyes were so full of warmth and love for her that she actually teared up as she nodded and raised herself over him, using her free hand to line him up to her entrance. Locking eyes with him she slowly lowered herself, her breath hitching slightly as his bulbous head first entered and slowly made progress as she was stretched out. His hands found her hips as he stabilized her, groaning softly as she took more and more of him in. Once at her barrier she paused, unease building within her as she looked at him with the slightest ounce of fear.

Seeing her gaze Percy smiled reassuringly at her, going as far as to lean closer and give what was probably the most tender kiss the pair had ever shared. Relaxing at the intimate act she released the last bit of tension in her legs, effectively dropping her and impaling past her barrier and just barely touching her womb. She almost cried out but Percy kept the kiss going and soon she felt tender caresses along her back and shoulders from Rhea and Hestia as they whispered soothing words. It helped distracting from the stinging pain and she could feel the slightest trickle of platinum ichor from her joining with her husband but the pain gave way to overwhelming physical pleasure as Percy shifted slightly.

She couldn't stop the moan that all but erupted from her as she felt the fire within her burn like never before as her body went into auto and started to bounce, her hips rolling with every ascent as she looked at his face. His every grunt and twitch, the way his eyes were trained on her solely, his body radiating its hunger for her. She relished in every second of it as she took control, making sure to imprint her touch and heat onto him just like his every thrust became engraved into the very memory of her body.

She was a love deity and his wife, someone who's body was literally built to be the most ideal sexual partner and by her own personal creed, devoted to her king and her two queens. Of course she would interact with his soon to form harem, if anything she encouraged it. They were primordial gods, their own lust and needs far outstripped even the most ravenous of mortals and having more partners helped in the long run even if she knew neither her king nor queens would ever even think about being unfaithful, the desire would be there. She was no different and was all too happy to become theirs and to slowly add to it, filling her with a primal sense of belonging and nurture from them.

She wrapped her arms around Percy as she pulled her chest against his, rolling her hips with a mission to bring him to pleasure like never before. As she continued her head was turned to the side only to engage in another kiss with Hestia, one she was all too happy to return. She would get to her queens soon enough, it was a matter of personal pride after all that she bring them to orgasmic bliss as well. She also spotted Percy kissing Rhea even as he continued to thrust into Andy as their orgasms built. Andy could feel the pressure increase as her bouncing got faster, her core tightening around him.

"Andy," he murmured huskily as he looked at her with predatory eyes. "I'm so close…"

"Me … too," she replied after breaking the kiss with Hestia only to longue forward and kiss Percy like her life depended on it.

It was returned with so much more as her wings popped out ramrod straight, the pressure and need for release becoming unbearable. Then, with almost animalistic hunger, he thrusted as he bit at her neck and groped her breast. All the sensations worked together to simply overwhelm her and the rubber band holding her orgasm simply snapped as she threw her head back with a near shriek as she came.

"PERCY!" she cried as she squeezed down on him, as if to never let him go earning a deep growl from him.

"Andy!" he grunted before he erupted within her, sending her mind numbing orgasm into mind shattering territory as she felt every rope of baby batter.

It took all her self-control to maintain her own current sterility, knowing that her queens were do first and they already forgave her once. Still she moaned to the sensation before flopping onto him as if boneless, panting and mewling at the warmth within her. She could feel his wings envelop her and the closeness of her queens as she radiated the love she felt towards them, finally fulfilled and joined in official matrimony, a near goofy smile on her face.

* * *

 **Lemon Over, Hands Where I Can See'Um!**

* * *

Percy gave a deep chuckle as Andy straightened up in his lap while Rhea and Hestia sat at his sides, looking on fondly even if Andy could tell both were ridiculously horny after that performance and that the night-or more properly, day- wasn't over by a long shot. Glancing at her two queens, Percy grinned, his fangs glinting as he spoke in a husky tone.

"I guess my fine ladies aren't done with little old me?" he asked in faux innocence.

His reply was Rhea starting to kiss and nibble at his cheek before she whispered back, "Bedroom now," and to add she glanced at Andy to let her know she was part of the continued activities.

She only grinned in reply before all four flashed and disappeared with the golden light. Funny, she could have sworn she detected a presence just outside the throne room but was too busy to accurately read who?

* * *

 **And there we are! Hope everyone enjoyed the filler ish chapter over all. Next one really picks up with the actual war and what's going on with all the sides with more twists and turns coming!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	36. Cracks

**Slightly smaller chapter this time around but remember people, been really busy right now so chapters might be a little smaller for a bit. Lots of good reviews last time around and I'm glad everyone is enjoying it so much! Enjoy!**

 **PS. Remember, romance is a factor but not to center of this fic so lemons and romance building won't be too focused unless it has a heavy affect on the story. Alright, continue!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

 **Thalia**

Sweat dripped down the goddess' brow as she slumped against the wall behind her, the only thing between her and the throne room. Just under one of the windows leading into it as well. Her breathes came in pants, her clothes suddenly too tight as her eyes dilated as she desperately tried to regain control of herself. She didn't know what compelled her to do it or why she simply couldn't look away. It had been curiosity as she'd been passing by, having noticed the sudden barrier erected around the room but just to within the borders.

Not to mention it was only physical. Every sound had been more than clear enough and were replying endlessly in Thalia's head.

She'd hovered up, just enough for her head to peak over the lowest end of the window and she watched in total rapture. Saw how her queens worshiped their king and welcomed their consort, the way he had such command over them and yet treated them tenderly. She watched as a maiden became a woman.

She hadn't even realized she'd been playing with herself as it went on, how she mewled and moaned in faint echoes to the performance before her. And then Andromeda climaxed. A wave of pure and unrestrained lust erupted off her and the moment it carried over Thalia, she came as well without intention or control, leaving her spent.

She glanced down at her soaked training shorts, her tank top just barely restraining her own respectable assets as her wings laid out at her sides. She kept recalling the foursome with crystal clarity as her hands twitched in the need to explore and continue but she held herself back. She needed to head to her palace, away from the amorous couplings and to clear her head.

She shouldn't be this attracted, this wanting. She was a maiden and even considering taking a new oath as one, something to further distance herself from what her own father had become. She knew otherwise once freed to her own lust, there would be no going back and she wouldn't lay with just anyone. She'd already been avoiding it for years as men and even some women tried to tempt her in her rare visits to the camps, chasing after her because of her fame or heritage.

Never just to get to know Thalia herself.

' _But maybe there is someone,'_ were her traitorous thoughts as she recalled Percy. The predatory look in his eyes, the strength of his thrusts as he held Andromeda to him making her shudder as her thighs rubbed together. ' _No! He's already with them, I can't!'_ she protested even as visions of herself committing such an act surfaced. Looking up at him as she brought him to mind numbing pleasure, or him holding her down and simply claiming her as such while she screamed his name.

She grit her teeth as she shook her head, trying to desperately clear her thoughts and stood on shaky legs. There was supposed to be a council meeting later today, hopefully one of them one have the decency to clean up before the rest arrive. Regardless she prepared to flash to the Palace of the Skies. She _really_ needed a cold shower…

* * *

 **Two Days Later, Andromeda**

Andy sighed blissfully to herself as she strolled through the temple on her way to the offices. She walked with an excited hop in her step, smiling at just about everyone, regardless of how that just got embarrassed flushes from everyone, guy or girl. Of course she'd been blushing non-stop for the first day, having learned what happened due to their rump in the throne room. First off, it looked like Percy's barrier only stopped gods from entering physically or flashing in, but did nothing to cutoff an impromptu show.

Apparently Andy had been more than loud enough for everyone within the first district to hear exactly what she was doing and with who. However that held nothing compared to what her coupling did, especially when their activities carried over into the night. Long story short, that day and night was likely responsible for a new, global scale baby-boom, every god and goddess dealing with new life and babies said as much.

Of course the following day led to Lupa, Medusa, and Lamia tailing them like lost puppies pushed to the brink and sure enough, all three had been bedded quite … thoroughly. Not to mention Andy found the concubine collars Rhea provided them to be hot and judging by how her queen looked at her, she bet good money that Rhea had one for her as well. Sexual deviance aside the council, after some jabs and teasing about the newly christened throne, decided on what course to take with the attacking army and even New Rome.

They were also going to make another push into interaction with the mortal world, spearheaded by Rhea this time and hopefully, it would go over well. At least the British parliament had been added along with the royal family to the know about the new protogenoi. Thank Chaos for oaths on Styx to make sure that knowledge was secure, otherwise their mortal allies would get backlash from the many countries still alarmed ever since Cordoba. Not that they could really be blamed but for the time being Jason would be kept out of the spotlight.

Shaking her thoughts of the matter she arrived to Athena's current room of residence and smoothed out any features on her face. Once properly in her ruling mentality she opened without so much as a knock, stepped in, and quickly closed the door behind her. The sight that greeted her was probably something many have thought of but never truly dared attempt.

Still hung up by her wrists, the Goddess of Wisdom had her head bowed slightly, her cheeks burning gold as she squirmed and trembled, her thin white sundress clinging to her curves as her chest heaved. Even from a distance Andy could make out the erect buds of her breasts poking through her clothes as Athena bit her lips, trying to prevent so much as a whimper from escaping her. However, having heard her entrance the goddess looked up only to glare with indignation and fury at Andy but she took it in stride as she approached.

"W-what did you … do to me?" Athena almost growled even as her blush persisted as she reared her head back.

"Not a lot," Andy replied easily as she lazily traced a finger along Athena's arm, making the goddess gasp at the touch. "Just took the next step in your punishment."

"How …" she trailed off as her breathing got harder as a lavender tattoo of sorts appeared around her neck mimicking a collar.

"Simple," Andy replied as she took a step to the side and pulled Athena's chin up to make sure those steely grey eyes were looking at her. "I had hoped that after speaking with Medusa and Arachne you would see. That maybe you'd toss aside your pride for once and admit to your own errors and hopefully apologize … but you didn't. No, instead you remained silent when they visited you again after everything but it seems that I underestimated just how stuck in your ways you are. So if having your wrongs thrown in your face won't do, then I'll simply force you to toss away your pride you so desperately hold."

She let go of the goddess as she stepped back and watched as Athena continued to struggle against her own body.

"I… I thought you said … you wouldn't take my virtue," Athena managed through labored breathes.

"And I won't. If you give in and decide to sleep with someone of your own volition is up to you and I don't really care about it. I'm here with you to carry out your punishments and the first is you admitting your wrongs," Andy replied with an aloof tone as she looked down at the slightly shorter goddess.

She saw the angered and defiant glint appear in Athena's eyes at the mention of her own mistakes. It was a familiar sight and now the goddess was on the defensive. Looking her in the eyes Andy leaned closer, her own eyes unyielding as she spoke in a clear and firm voice.

"So let's take the pride and see what it takes to make you beg for mercy. Perhaps reliving some of Medusa's worst memories?" she probed, seeing the alarmed look in Athena's eyes. Andy pressed further, looking for any sign of give or weakness along the proud and defiant façade. "Or maybe I'll take some of the desires you were most ashamed of, those that you denied above everything else and increase them. After all, we both know what and who you wanted but more importantly … how you wanted."

Seeing the quivering Athena's eyes Andy decided to take a page from Percy and give a predatory grin, her own eyes narrowing as a lavender glow came from them.

"Hmm … if only others knew. Athena of all goddesses, who would have thought what her kinks and true desires are so _shameful_. While Artemis is more of a distrustful and violent prude, not that I blame her for her initial behavior considering the society she was born into, you are simply too caught up in your high and mighty view to ever consider truly being with anyone or letting go."

Andy paused as she slowly circled her captured prey, delighting in how Athena's entire body trembled as the goddess tried to watch her.

"But you can't, can you? No, the goddess Athena is too perfect and above that. Born fully grown and beautiful, already powerful and skilled in battle, and one of, if not the most, intelligent gods only to be name an Olympian shortly after. You've rarely been denied anything, daddy's little girl for over a century until Artemis came into the picture and even then, you always had his ear and authority. So above reproach and too dignified to ever allow weakness," Andromeda said, almost whispering the last bit into Athena's ear making the goddess shudder.

"But then again," Andy continued as she leaned back, looking at Athena with something akin to pity much to the goddess' obvious anger. "Perhaps it is best you hid behind this little mask. Chaos knows what would have happened to you back then. There simply wasn't a place for your type but at the same time, hiding for too long leaves you vulnerable to becoming the fake."

As she spoke Athena let her head dip down, her sweaty blonde bangs covering her eyes as she shuddered from time to time. Andromeda felt pangs of pity as she watched the goddess, knowing that her words were cutting far deeper than Athena allowed to show.

"Stop … it," Athena whispered without looking up.

"Stop what? Telling you the truth you deny? Stop with this tiny drop of frustration that I'm subjecting you to?" Andy asked as Athena gave her an incredulous look making Andy snort.

"Please, I'm the Primordial of Love and Desire. I can literally feel the pleasure and desires of every human on the planet. It's part of the reason my libido is even higher than my king or queens and why marrying them was for the best, that way I have a safe way of releasing my own needs on them. I only gave you a connection to the residents on this mountain and with every act of intimacy performed here only heightens your pleasure … but you can't experience release regardless of what you do and it will keep building," Andy explained, watching as the realization and horror dawned on the goddess. "But I'm not without some mercy as well. I'll stop it and get rid of all that frustration," she said sweetly as Athena tried to narrow her eyes but another shudder stopped her. "But to do that," she murmured as she leaned closer. "You need to beg. Beg and swear yourself to me. Then and only then will you get relief."

"Go to Tartarus!" Athena snarled as her body radiated pure divine power, the very floor around them cracking under the pressure but Andy disregarded it with little difficulty.

"I was raised there," she snickered back before her eyes hardened and glowed with power.

The collar around Athena's neck turned an angry red before the goddess arched her back with a silent scream, her body almost convulsing before remaining taut. Athena managed to turn her head and glare defiantly at Andy making her smirk.

"Upgraded you to all of Canada now. Let's see how you handle the lust now," she said before turning her back. "You're not perfect Athena, no one is. I would really start to consider if your pride and dignity are worth it because either way, you're losing it. The only question is whether it will be in your own terms, after all, you can deny yourself and your body for so long before something has to give."

With her piece said Andromeda walked out, leaving the goddess to her personal hell. This was the reason Andromeda had warned her that she could be worse than Nico in regards to torture. After all, she turns the very thing you want most against you. So, as the winged goddess gently closed the door behind her, she caught the small, choked sob that managed to escape Athena, making her feel guilty but she didn't turn back. With the door closed she sighed as her shoulders slumped and nearly shrieked when a hand tapped her shoulder.

Whirling around she was face to face with her husband, his flaming eyes looking at her with some concern. Not saying anything he pulled her into a comforting hug which she relished in, leaning against him and breathing in his musky scent. After a few minutes of comfortable silence he spoke, the underlying growl within his voice soothing her even more.

"So, how is it going?"

She glanced up at him before taking a deep breath and a slow, measured exhale.

"I really wish she would have shown some progress by now. At least a small apology would have gone a long way but instead she's being stubborn and I had to up the punishment on her," she replied.

"And what has you so worried about that? You said before that the frustration isn't a threat to her mind," Percy said as he looked at her with mild confusion, his brows scrunching in a cute manner.

"Her mind isn't in danger of retreating within itself from pain," Andy clarified as she glanced back at the door. "But she isn't a love goddess, she was never trained to tolerate this sort of exposure. Sure, any mortal by now would have been overwhelmed and given in but if she tries to hold out, a far worse consequence will come."

"Such as?" he asked as he released the hug to cross his arms and look at the door intently.

"The lust and needs of her body will finally overwhelm even her mind and she'll give in but then, what's to stop it from becoming a chronic case? How can she adjust if her body and desires win out every time there is a conflict with the mind? What's to stop her from becoming a slave to her own body, especially when the key overarching emotion and need being based on lust?"

Percy nodded gravely at the implications. "She would have no inhibitions and would do anything to get satisfaction. In this case she'd be broken and be little more than a living sex doll." Percy then paused as he blinked before looking at her intently. "Is that … what could have happened to you if I denied you?" he asked softly.

Andy glanced away for a moment as she bit her lip, knowing exactly what would have happened to her had Percy said no and she didn't find any other truly capable of being with her. Her needs would have been next to insatiable to any other partner falling short of a primordial or powerful god and even then it would have been possible that she would have still needed more. But Percy had accepted and returned those feelings, along with Rhea and Hestia, leaving her more than satisfied emotionally and physically.

"It doesn't matter now," she finally replied as she looked at her left hand, spotting the obsidian ring with pink diamond surrounded by emerald and ruby. "I have you, Rhea, and Hestia now."

Soon Percy took her hand with his ring overlapping hers getting a warm smile from her.

"And we wouldn't change it," he said softly before giving her a tender kiss.

After a while he pulled back and glanced at the door again.

"Tell me, if worse comes to worst, what will you do then?" he asked.

"I wanted to punish her and then give her a chance to change, not condemn her forever but is she breaks …" Andy replied evenly as she looked at the door before looking back to Percy with hard eyes. "… I'll make her fade…"

* * *

 **Next Day, Vatican, Italy, Afternoon**

Pope Francisco Devente took calm and measured steps as he ascended the chairs, his gaze resting on the waiting door leading to the balcony overlooking Saint Peter's Square. Even from his place he could hear the rumble of the people outside. This was the now necessary third visitation of the day, a cycle repeated everyday ever since the tragedy of Cordoba. That day had been an alarm unlike any other before to the possible truths of their world. To see a true angel come from the heavens and smite a massive being of unknown origin … or at least, initially unknown.

The images taken had provided enough to render accurate pictures of some of the armor and depictions carefully crafted on it. And it was those depictions, along with the accounts of the monstrous man's presence that pointed to a terrifying possibility. Even Francisco himself had been somewhat of a mythology nut in his youth, how could he not when his own mother had been an archeologist? And so, even if it took a few days to look through some of his precious moments of the times of his youth and adventures with his mother, he had found a match. The very armor depicted in an ancient temple, on the borders of Macedonia, telling the story of the titans.

Hyperion, one of the most feared titans, had been there in the flesh and fighting against the white angel. To see such forces at work had been utterly breath taking, even if brief, but now that left nothing but questions. What did this mean for the faith? For the world? Have the days of judgement finally come? And most importantly (possibly terrifying), if two beings of distinct divinity had been present, are there others, and if so, what would it mean for the world? All these questions and more caused varying reaction, the most common being either excitement for those believing they have been just, and fear for those of opposing faith or creed.

The church had never been busier then these days, there services of baptism, conversion, and confession being swamped at all times and then the actual square itself. It was full at nearly all times of day, especially during the hours of service and Sundays with near frantic crowds looking for guidance and comfort in these uncertain times. Every single one of his priests, from the highest cardinal to the lowest deacon, had been worked to the bone attending the masses tirelessly. Even some world leaders, from the genuinely affiliated to those echoing past calls only for the favor, have come in search of guidance. Were it not for the fact that he had to be mature and patient during such events he would have laughed at the way visiting politicians visited with sweat trailing their every step.

It was only mildly amusing though but did little to distract from the fervor and speculation all around them but all he could do was try to be a source of comfort and guidance and pray, because obviously there had to be someone listening in. It was with those thoughts that he finally noticed that he had arrived at the highest step and was now only pace or so from being on the balcony and in plain view. Taking one last reassuring breath he went on, the dull rumble now a near roar as his pristine white garments making his presence known within moments.

He walked to the very rail and gave a gentle wave, smiling softly at the cheers and shouts of the crowd of people. Young and old, men and women, of nearly any profession or creed, they all came. He wondered if other temples and holy sites were just as overflowing. He glanced up to the warm sun overhead, having passing its peak and now on to the slow descent for the day. Luckily it hadn't been too hot today, otherwise they would have some of the repeated emergencies with heat strokes and fainting spells plaguing the last week.

He moved his eyes from the skies above to the people again, raising a hand for silence which was followed in short order. He prepared to speak, to give another short speech on coming together for support and prayer, in wake of Cordoba and the unknown future … but he paused. Perhaps it was a movement he caught, maybe he just wanted to look at the blues skies yet again, or maybe it was something simply whispering in his mind to look up. The reason unknown his gaze still lifted and for a moment he wasn't sure what he was looking at. Had it been in passing he could have written it off as a bird fluttering by, but this was no bird.

His mouth dropping, eyes widening, he took in the splendor before him. With wings of bronzed feathers, caressed with the gentlest breeze, was a woman like no other he'd seen in his seventy years. Dressed in a snug chiton of the purest white with gold embroidery and sash around her waist, hair of the warmest browns lightly spilling over exposed shoulders equally tanned skin. Eyes of gold with pupils of an emerald glow on, high cheeks and heart shaped face. The vision of beauty, what else could he call it?

An angel had blessed them with her presence.

His silence and gaze attracted the attention of the crowds as they followed his sight, resounding gasps of shock and disbelief erupted all around as even the television crews present swiveled around to get a shot of this holy being. Then, with unearthly grace she descended, as if the very breeze was lowering her with solemn reverence. Soon she was low enough to balance on the tip of the obelisk centering the square but she continued on, the people below scampering back with a hushed murmur. The click of her golden heels upon the stone beneath echoed all around as the very ground seemed to thrum with her presence and even Francisco in his old age felt as if new vigor was flowing through him.

With posture and grace she walked forward, the people parting before her like the Red sea before Moses, some even falling to their knees in prayer. Some looked at her in unbridled fear, intimidated by the unquestionable aura of power radiating off this being. However, as she moved and the crowds parted, it seemed that a child had gotten separated from her parents and fallen … right in the path of the angel.

He barely noticed his breath hitching as the angel stopped and glance down at the small child before her. The little brunette, even from this distance Francisco could see that she was frightened but then the angel gave her a warm smile. He watched in fascination as the winged woman drew closer and knelt before the child, speaking softly while gesturing to the scrapped knee of the child. A mumbled reply and shy nod later, the angel gently pressed a single finger to the small cut and there was a brief, golden glow before she removed her finger. Nothing but unblemished skin remained much to the crowd's amazement before the angel picked up a flower the child had dropped and let it rest in her palm.

They watched, transfixed as the trampled plant became vibrant once more and even grew in radiance, seemingly balancing perfectly in her palm until the restored rose was at its peak. Then, with another smile the angel gave the flower to the girl who gingerly took it and said something that made the angel giggle of all things. Leaning forward to kiss the child's forehead, the angel then rose back to her feet and glanced around, and stopped on a woman that looked like a bigger version of the girl. ' _The girl's mother,'_ Francisco mused as the now excited girl returned to the arms of her mother who seemed to thank the angel, something she waved off with a smile.

After another few moments and words the angel resumed her path, walking straight towards where Francisco himself resided above the square. With her approach more dropped to pray, others bowed, and many more smiled or waved which the angel happily returned before she arrived to the border where the Vatican guards kept the general populace back. She paused there and looked on in amusement before directing her gaze to the head guard, easily picking him out from the dozens that stood before her.

Pope Francisco suddenly felt apprehensive at the sight of several guards nervously fidgeting, some even fingering the guns hidden at the backs until the head guard glanced back and up at Francisco. Seeing this Francisco nodded before the guard barked an order having the defense line separated down the center. The angel nodded her head with a murmur to the closest guards before she continued to walk but then, another miracle happened. With her every step up she seemed to find purchase on nothing but air much to the shock of those witnessing.

Every pair of eyes watched on as step by step the angel drew closer to the Pope, something almost forgetting to breathe at this possibly historic moment. All too soon the angel was level before him, only a scant few feet from his balcony as she looked at him, her beauty almost too radiant for him to even bear. Then, with a soft and honeyed voice, spoken in perfect Latin of all things.

" _Be not afraid…"_

* * *

 **Army Camp, Evening**

Allen gave a tense sigh as he slowly walked through the camps surrounding the Argos, small campfires doting the terrain around him. Demigods clustered all about, almost all hunkered down and only speaking in harsh whispers and uneasy murmurs. He could even pick out the youngest recruits, most of them barely over 12, and felt nothing but disgust at the thought. There was no prophecy, no apparent greater agenda to Fate, and no simply task to suite the ego of a god.

No, these kids, many of them his siblings, were merely here because they were unlucky enough to pass the necessary requirement for cannon fodder. They didn't have anywhere near the experience or fortitude necessary, not for this. All-out war against literal legends, both ancient and recent, and yet the gods brought them along. They simply signed off on their deaths in a war that isn't even meant to be waged at the demigods.

How many times had demigods themselves had civil war or even been an opposing side against mortals in history, and the gods stood aside saying it was mortal business? How was it that the gods were so quick to give up the lives of the demigods, their own children, and rarely put themselves in harm's way if they can help it. And now, even his own mother had been bested and taken prisoner, and possibly suffering in ways he was glad his mind failed to imagine.

He once had absolute trust in Olympus. Not anymore.

He remembered that sight before them. How the newest legend, Perseus Jackson, appeared before them on wings of darkness and single-handedly held off not only his mother but Artemis, his sister, and Bellona with little difficulty while the other two also dominated their opposition. Such an overwhelming force and yet the Olympians still brought the demigods with them to a battle ground that was likely to be at their disadvantage.

With every day spent waiting, the nerves of the demigods grew along with the obvious tension of the gods. Losing Athena created an imbalance of authority and the gods now bickered and squabbled like chickens on how to attack, who should lead, and so forth. Zeus might be king and even a bit charismatic but unless on the actual battlefield, he wasn't an organized commander capable of rallying his troops to a single point. The other Olympians weren't helping much, especially Artemis and Hera who both demanded to attack as soon as possible, practically foaming at the mouths.

The thought of the maiden goddess brought a particularly distasteful grimace from the 18 year old demigod, his gaze flowing to a passing campfire where he spotted familiar silver parkas. However, his eyes dropped to one of the obviously smallest and youngest, his sister Lola Jefferson, and couldn't help but clench his fists in anger. She had been one of the demigods basically drafted against their wishes, being adapt with a bow, and forced to take Artemis' oath. That night Lola had cried into his chest until she fell asleep, having been the last night she had been allowed to stay with her siblings before separating to the Artemis barracks for training before they left.

She hadn't wanted it and when some of the gods were questioned about whether they would be released from their oaths upon war's end, the gods had been evasive. Last thing he needed was his sister near an unstable goddess with an aching ego and an axe to grind against nearly anyone. But for now his sister was beyond along with two other slightly older sisters of his but at least they kept an eye of the youngest of Athena's children present.

He was broken out of thoughts however when he passed a tent and was smacked in the face by the tent flap. Staggering back he blinked for a moment before seeing a familiar head of golden hair similar to his own and a set of intense grey eyes looked at him in surprise.

"Oh, Allen, I'm sorry," Annabeth apologized as she stepped forward and checked his face making him blush in embarrassment.

A few days since their mother had been taken Annabeth had seemed to change and take a step up in watching after her siblings, regardless of their age. He'd seen her become a significant source of support and comfort, especially for the younger demigods, even those not directly related to her. Hell, she was practically being a mother hen for the youngest demigods around and the effects, both positive and negative, were apparent.

Allen could see it in the eyes of his fellow demigods the way they were looking up to Annabeth and she was winning over more with each passing day. To the veterans she was a familiar presence and someone to trust in the thick of it unlike so many gods that had remained in their lofty perches while the demigods bled and sacrificed. Without their mother Annabeth had effectively become the authority for her siblings and the squad dedicated to front-line combat, though those of Ares' linage favored Bellona's far more aggressive stance.

Loyalties aside Allen shook his head, partly to clear his thoughts, another to get his sister's hands off his head before looking at her intently. Only now did he notice her clothes, being her usual shorts and simple shirt but this time she had a breastplate over it and her bracers, her sword and shield strapped to her back.

"You going somewhere?" he asked to which she looked away hesitantly before her eyes suddenly hardened as she looked at him again.

"Yes," she answered firmly, bringing a finger up to his lips to stop his following question. "I can't explain everything but I need to head north to where mother is being kept."

"But what if they take you too?" he whispered harshly, looking at his sister as if she'd grown a second head. "You're completely outclassed there and we don't even know if she's alive."

"She is, I would have felt it otherwise," Annabeth replied. "Besides, if I approach under parley it should be alright."

"Should!?" Allen asked incredulously getting a shrug from his godly sister.

"I can only hope that have more honor that the _Olympians_ ," his sister replied with obvious distaste at the mention of the council of gods.

He didn't question the tone though. Annabeth along with a good portion of demigods had been glancing at the gods in such ways, more and more beginning to question whether the claims of Percy's apparent sister having validity. The fact that almost all failed to answer conclusively and get evasive, or in the cases of some such as Hephaestus, a look of extreme shame, had been enough for some.

Truth be told many of the demigods had not wanted to fight at all but here they were and the gods in question were constantly watching them for any sign of traitors. Allen wouldn't be surprised if some of the gods were willing to perform executions if they did catch wind of any traitors or deserters but that would do nothing to settle the tensions of the camp. And now his sister was leaving and without her guidance, Allen honestly wasn't sure how he or his siblings would do, especially having their mother taken before them.

"But … what about us?" he asked, cursing how his voice seemed far more frail when he said that.

All that got though was a gentle and understanding smile from his sister as she stepped closer and gave him a hug, whispering softly in his ear, "Right now the only thing I can ask you is to look after our siblings. There's something going on I need to confirm but promise me this, if I don't get back before the Argos take off again in the next few days, then take command of the Athena Vanguard for me."

"But-"

"Promise me," Annabeth said sternly making Allen swallow nervously before nodding. "Good," she continued before giving him a quick kiss on the brow before he could protest it.

She then stepped back and looked at him for a few more moments before abruptly turning around and dashing of. With unnatural grace and speed she sped out of the camp, barely even being noticed by the demigods in her ways as she maneuvered around them and quickly dashed out of the camp limits heading north.

"Swift speed," Allen murmured before looking up to the night sky, for once feeling like he was looking at far more than just empty space and stars above. "If you can hear me then please … just let me sister return to us … Percy," he prayed in a bare whisper before closing his eyes.

Then, with a firmer step he moved on, making his rounds around the camp…

* * *

 **Alright, like I said earlier, smaller chapter. Some developments and set ups for bigger stuff to go down. Hope everyone enjoyed and see you next week (hopefully)**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	37. Answer Me

**Yo everyone, I live! Been forever plus one since I last updated but I will clarify and I will say this, sometimes when life gets you down, it comes back with a bat covered in nails, beats you again and then has its dog piss on you while talking about yo mama.**

 **Long story short; Being full time in college and working part-time is a deadly mix but because of that a personal situations, i could barely make ends meet in payments, then I got into a car accident which took out my main means of income leading to being unable to pay rent or ironically, my car. Then I needed to scrounge up 2K for repairs on top of it all leading to me moving to a cheaper area, getting two new jobs to work 7 days a week plus get my car fixed.**

 **So, as you can see, I am now proudly getting life on track. New place, already repaired car and got some in the bank account, working steady, taking a break year from college, the works. Still, since I will be pretty busy, updates will be inconsistent for a while but trust this.**

 **I will NOT ABANDON this story. That said, please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer; I only own the plot.**

* * *

 **Two Days Later**

She sighed as he hovered around her, looking for each and every little thing to fuss about as she merely tapped her foot. Others would have been annoyed by being dotted over but she found it amusing and rather sweet that he cared so much. She glanced across the room to see a nurse nymph snickering into her hand as she also watched the winged god.

"… and if you're feeling faint or hot just let me know an-"

"Jason," she cut in as she placed a hand at his cheek, getting the god to pause as he looked into her sea-green eyes. "It's okay. Will said I check out just fine so relax," she instructed and watched as he took a deep breath and slow exhale. "Better?" she asked getting slight nod from him. "Good," she chirped before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek before turning to look at the nymph and waving goodbye as Jason grabbed her single bag and the pair left her hospital room.

The pair left, dressed in casual pairs of snug jeans and a dark shirt with his jacket of light for him while she wore a simple blue blouse. They gave passing greetings to other staff and attendants, pausing as some children passed them playing with one of the service wolves Percy assigned to the hospital.

"Hmm, I wonder what Percy had to do to convince Will to allow animals in his clinic?" she mused out loud getting a snort from Jason. Looking at the winged god with a raised eyebrow as he looked at her.

"He turned himself into a wolf puppy and followed Will around for a whole day while whining until Will gave in just so Percy would stop annoying him about it," Jason explained making Amphitrite giggle as she imagined her step-son(?) do just that and the picture was absolutely adorable. "What a silly king we have," she murmured getting a chuckle from Jason.

"That's a good part of why we chose him in the first place," he said as the pair exited the clinic and Amphitrite took her first breath of true freedom since her arrival to Mount Cartier.

Her view from the hospital room could only do so much and it was only in the last few days that she even had the energy to move around properly, thus getting better acquainted with the hospital staff and some of the residents. She couldn't help but recall some of the rescued children currently staying there, some having suffered from malnutrition and heavy bruising due to being shipped around like cattle by slavers … or even some of the more extreme cases. At least she could find morbid satisfaction in knowing the culprits were being personally attended to by Hades and Nico.

Still, knowing that many of them were going to be living in Leto's orphanage soon made Amphitrite wonder if she could help with it. She'd always liked children and considering how most gods had some sort of mortal job or roles within the city, she was wondering if Leto would need more hands around. After all, you could never have too many hands on deck when dealing with so many excitable rugrats and the sizable number of teens also present. Thoughts to consider, she followed Jason along in any easy pace as the pair made their way out of the clinic and into the calm streets of the city.

Amphitrite couldn't help but look around in wonder, having already heard much about the city from her son, Jason, and even Percy on his few visits but seeing it was just that much more. To see gods of all sorts, spirits, demigods, and even the mortal parents bustling around was something that she could only have dreamed of before. She even recognized some gods as they milled around, some running little stores and stalls or even walking around in business suites.

"I can't believe you all managed to get so many gods to find jobs and actually be responsible," she murmured getting an amused chuckle from Jason.

"Well, it wasn't easy, I'll tell you that. Lots have gods have literally been cruising through time and generally being pains in the ass for humanity so having to whip them out of it took a little maneuvering and just a little bullying," he answered to which she gave a confused look, but he explained on. "We know that everyone had their own reasons for not wanting to side with Olympus. Personal vendettas, uninterested in fighting, wanting a change and safer home, or maybe just jumping ship because it's new. That being said, not everyone came here for entirely wholesome reasoning, probably thinking a new order and government wouldn't have all the kinks worked out and let said gods find loopholes to do as they please."

The near predatory grin Jason sported could have made lesser men to duck under their mothers' skirts.

"But Nyx and Tartarus didn't drill us in politics and law during our years training for nothing and Styx especially took to it like a fish to water. We had already made several documents, our own form of constitution, and even the Oath of Citizenship just to prepare for our new home, all loopholes considered."

"Oath of Citizenship?" Amphitrite asked curiously getting a nod from Jason.

"Yeah, since you were in the hospital none of Styx's monitors came to interrupt. Basically, nobody in the entire city resides here without the oath aside from children under the age of 16 and then they have a lighter version until they turn 21. Basically it's an oath to follow the rules of the city to the letter as place by the council and before you ask, we are under the same oath with a second one sworn to Lady Chaos herself stopping us from abusing our power. She is essentially our check and balance. Anyways, this oath as the standard stuff for security and order of the city, and the only differences are some of the wording for gods versus mortals."

"What's the difference for gods?" she asked curiously as the pair strolled through a park on their way to the First District and divine temples.

"Gods have to swear on their immortality and Styx whereas mortals only swear on her," he replied before seeing her incredulous face making him shrug. "Hey, even if Styx is far more powerful, adding a term that can cripple lesser gods and terrify even the toughest ones guarantees that they don't get any ideas about trying to get around the rules. After all, you do know what happens to a god stripped of their immortality but not their domains right?"

She nodded slowly before answering, "For all intents and purposes, they become mortal gods or incredibly powerful demigods meaning that their lifespan mirrors that of regular humans and upon death, they are reborn. However, each time they are reborn as babies and initially have no recollection of what they are until they mature and the process goes on until they can regain immortality."

"Yep and to some gods, that's practically a personal hell so you can imagine how tricky it was to get them willing to take the oath. Honestly it just came down to them either taking the offer, which isn't even bad to begin with, just less freeing than some of the lifestyles some of the rowdier gods are used to, or stay out and possibly deal with the Olympians or other parties after this is all over. Some gods just needed a little more … thorough persuasion about the rules, mostly a clean ass-kicking via Percy and telling them to suck it up."

Amphitrite giggled as she pictured Percy grinning like a fool while standing atop a pile of groaning and beat-up gods.

"Now when Styx went about redoing marriage vows…" Jason trailed off as he shook his head. "Well … at least infidelity is zero in this city, unless of course, the couple in question is into that kind of thing and have terms for it."

"Really!?" Amphitrite asked, shocked that some couples would actually want to sleep with others outside of marriage and allow their significant other to do so. To a goddess who's kept her own fidelity for millennia up until her ex-husband's last straw, it was almost unthinkable.

"Yeah, I mean, Percy, Rhea, and Hestia's marriage is a type of variant to that with their harem," he answered.

That was another thing that Amphitrite needed to get used to. The idea that her step-son and his wives (a little odd but it happened before in Greece so she could accept that easily enough) had a _collective_ harem for their own was not something much seen before. A king that got greedy and made one for whenever the wife was being pissy? Sure, it was all too common back in the days and gods frequently went that route even if the harems in question were usually 'secret' or simply not mentioned in polite company. But for all three royals to make use of it, and rather eagerly from the gossip heard, was something else entirely.

"Well, at least its mutual and their happy with it," she said after a moment with a slight sigh to which Jason nodded.

"Good thing most on the mountain can accept that. Can't wait for the more expansive public to be clued in on it," he muttered and noticing her unasked question, continued on. "Think about it, our king and queens practice polygamy and already taboo before Andy was added. Then you have Nico who is pretty much our version of the devil, openly gay or possibly BI thanks to Styx and will probably get into polygamy soon enough. Just those two cases alone will cause aneurysms for every religious fanatic to the moderate and even get hostility from all manner of opinionated social groups."

"So, a clusterfuck," Amphitrite eloquently put. Even her decorum and preference for proper vocabulary couldn't place a more accurate term for it.

"Essentially," Jason agreed with a sigh making the sea goddess to giggle at his expanse.

The pair resumed their walk with a pleasant silence to them, simply enjoying the atmosphere and passing greetings to those they crossed. Amphitrite couldn't help but get a slight eye twitch whenever she noticed how Jason was the target of coy giggles, blushing smiles, and shy greetings from all manner of females as they walked which led her to switching from merely holding his hand to simply hugging his arm to her chest and discreet glares sent out. At least Jason responded similarly whenever a male of the population eyed her a little too much.

Once the pair arrived up to the first district they made a B-line for the Primordial temple for business and also for Amphitrite to stay. She would be waiting in Jason's office since he had an important meeting with the council and later in the day Triton would arrive to pick her up and show her to her new apartment close to Triton's. Speaking of her son, last she heard he had succeeded in convincing Percy to allow him to fight as well and was currently training with the likes of Atlas and Hercules up in the Palace of the Sky.

Knowing that she couldn't help but worry about him but knew that she could do little to persuade him otherwise so in the end all she could do was support him. At least she could take comfort in the fact that he would be fighting alongside Percy or Jason so his back was well covered. Taking her mind off such thoughts Amphitrite glanced around the entrance hall to the Primordial Temple, lightly waving to a nymph stationed at a welcoming desk even as she flipped through several documents.

"Very efficient around here," she commented getting a snort from Jason.

"Twenty First Century, might as well," he replied before both chuckled as they moved towards the halls leading to the offices.

They quickly passed the doors that Amphitrite guessed lead to Percy, Rhea, and Hestia's offices, judging by the color schemes and designs on each. Percy's obsidian door with a deep blue wolf-head insignia resting on crossed blades, the very same _Purgatory_ and _Sin._ Rhea's oak door with an emerald lioness over a shield, and Hestia's deep redwood door with ruby fire shaped to look like a dragon. Even as she admired the doors the pair continued on, passing what she believed to be Andromeda's door judging by the lavender color before continuing on but they paused as said door opened, causing both gods to glance back in time to meet two sets of eyes.

One, a familiar icy blue pair in a fair face and bordered by raven locks, identifying the veritable princess of the mountain, Raven, dressed in her 'uniform' of Andromeda's Valkyries as the group was called. A sleeveless, chiton-like dress pulled to a very snug fit along her figure and stopping to barely mid-thigh with slits along both sides with a specially woven, mesh-armor shirt underneath. Knee high leather boots with a slight heel, the tip and heel itself coated in Tartarean steel with a definite point at the heel. Lastly were finely woven sleeves reaching just to the mid-bicep and connected down to the middle finger of each hand along with a brace running from just behind the wrist to a rounded point just jutting out past the elbow. Lastly was the special short sword reminiscent of a tanto given to Raven by Percy strapped to her back, the handle jutting out over her right shoulder. All of it being predominantly black with lavender edges and embroidery, streamlined and elegant for light combat and maneuverability.

However, it was the second individual that caught both gods' attention, mostly at the surprise of seeing her. Amphitrite had heard that the girl's eyes had been almost kaleidoscopes of meshing color but now it was more proper to call them swirling pools of bronze, gold, and honey with a sheen that reminded the sea goddess of rare opals. Her skin was a perfectly tanned bronze, her hair lustrous and bold, with lips and a figure both seemed delectably full and last but not least, the sense of power that the demigoddess turned Valkyrie radiated. Dressed nearly identical to Raven aside from the honeyed edges rather than lavender and two large knives strapped to her hips, Piper Mclean stood tall and proud, her gaze unyielding as she looked to Jason.

Amphitrite also caught the slight tensing of Jason's body but gave him a reassuring hand squeeze which soon made him relax even if the atmosphere had lost its previous levity. Tense silence followed as the two ex-lovers stared off and Amphitrite shared a glance with Raven, the pair nodding as they understood Jason and Piper needed to talk, if however brief. So, with a sigh to draw attention, Raven spoke up.

"Jason, the council has a meeting soon, right?" At his nod, she continued, "And were you showing Amphitrite to your office?" Another nod. "Then how about I show her and you two …" she trailed off as she glanced between said pair.

Both of said pair looked at each other before murmuring, "Fine," in sync.

Nodding, Raven stepped past them and moved up to Amphitrite's side, taking her arm and leading her further down the hall and leaving the two to discuss whatever was needed to be said. Amphitrite didn't resist as, what was essentially her granddaughter, pulled her along to what was most likely Jason's door, all the while the goddess couldn't help but glance back at the pair that had moved farther off to speak. Hopefully everything would turn out okay between them…

* * *

Jason was feeling confused. Why? Because he honestly wasn't sure how to feel any more in regards to the woman in front of him. Anger was definitely there, it had been ever since that day and he still held some resentment for how everything turned out. Sadness was there too, after all, the way they broke up was horrible and he had been heartbroken enough at the time to develop a keen distrust of the emotion known as love and even became somewhat biased when associating with love deities. Nervous, mostly because he sometimes doubted himself in regards to what he could say or if even his emotions would get the better of him.

As much as he hated it, he was still the son of Zeus and that came with a tendency to hold grudges do to slighted pride and pride in of itself, paranoia to varying degrees, and a temper with a naturally short fuse depending on the situation, and, thanks to Zeus's _very_ well-known tendencies, lust. Be it lust for power, wealth, knowledge, attention, or carnal, it was still there even if at the moment Jason had already reigned in his own desires for power both personally as well as socially. It was a highly volatile mix regardless of how you looked at it though and because of it he had nearly attacked Piper last time and only thanks to Percy's presence had he not done something that he doubtlessly would have regretted.

Being alone with said demigoddess now was basically putting him on pins and needles, mostly because he questioned his own self-control at times even if talking things out with Amphitrite and simply sparring with Percy to get things out of his system had done wonders. Still, knowing that he had to bite the bullet, he waited to see if Piper would begin after the pair had moved off from the halls to a more private one leading to the back gardens. Having stopped under an arch and with the greens of the garden in sight Jason sighed softly as his attention centered on Piper.

She met his gaze with an intensity that he hadn't seen since being in the middle of battle during the Giant's attack, her entire posture seeming taller and prouder than he could ever recall. Whether this was the result of having taken Andromeda's oath or something else remained to be seen. Still, they stared at each other for several minutes, Jason idly noting that he would be late to the meeting at this rate but he knew the others would understand why. Then, in a nearly musical yet firm tone, she spoke two simple words.

"I'm sorry."

Jason stared at her in slight surprise, wondering if that was all she really had to say as if it was that quick and simple, even going as to blinking owlishly at her.

"What?" he replied eloquently.

"I'm sorry," she repeated to his inquiry.

"… That's it?" he asked, feeling even more confused by the second.

He wasn't really sure what he expected. Maybe a defense of explanation of what she did and why? Perhaps it blame shift that he, admittedly, carries for having failed to communicate properly with her or be more straightforward rather than allow that distance to grow between them?

"What's more could I say?" she asked as she placed a hand on her hip. "Start crying and apologizing for what I did, for even listening to that _goddess_ at the time or letting her play me so easily, or being stupid enough to not even recognize the bastard, or maybe even not having more faith in you?" She shook her head as she sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as she gave him a tired glance. "I already spent years just beating myself and drowning in a pity-party, throwing myself into work as my dad's agent, living the red-carpet life and just drifting by until I was basically stagnant. I might not ever forgive myself for what happened that night but it's pointless to harp on it and nothing can be done to change the past."

At her pause, Jason let his thoughts drift about as he absorbed her words. In the end she was right about that, what more could he expect and want? They had both been used and played in the game of the gods only to then leave rather than give said gods their satisfaction from their ploys. Both of them had suffered for it, going as far as to leave and renounced their very blood, a rather distressing event that left him feeling weaker than he ever had before, and he could only imagine what it had been like for Piper who had no one save her father to support her when she did it. Hell, unlike him she didn't even have another offer for power to replace what she gave up. It was meant to be a permanent sacrifice as far as Piper had known at the time.

Looking again at the ex-daughter of Aphrodite, he could see that, even with two such measly words, it's their intent that they carried. They were honest and solemn and her lack of adding more to try and justify or seek reparation meant even more. She acknowledged that what they once were could never be again but she wasn't striving for it and, that in apologizing, she was doing it just as much for herself as it was for him. It didn't even matter if he accepted it or not in the end, she had done her part and was at peace with that.

Sighing softly to himself, he looked her in the eyes and spoke.

"I accept your apology," he started, pausing for a moment before nodding to himself and continuing, "I'm sorry as well, for my behavior during those years and for reacting the way I did when I saw you again. It was excessive and unjustified. I know that I did my fair share of wrongs leading up to everything and could have done better but like you said, the past is just that, past. Holding a grudge to you even after you went out of your way to say sorry says enough to me … and I hope you can find it in you to forgive me as well…" he finished somewhat sheepishly.

"Apology accepted," she replied as her features softened with a small smile, the pair falling back into silence gain but with a more comfortable atmosphere between them this time around.

However, he then felt a mental probe giving him the impression that the others were still waiting for him back in the throne room. Glancing at Piper again he nodded before turning to leave but paused as he looked back over his shoulder.

"Thank you …" he said softly with his own smile before adding, "… and it's good to see you again, Piper."

"You too … Jason," she replied as he left, her last words being oddly soothing as his steps felt lighter as he left the hall to appear before the very doors leading into the throne room.

He quickly walked in, his size increasing with every step as he made it onto the floor and looked around to see the glances of his fellow council members. Giving a quick nod to the group he made his way to his throne and sat down to begin looking at the floating screens being projected by Phoebe this time around, making them look more like ghostly portals drifting about.

"Well, now that everyone is here," Percy began, shooting a heatless glare at Jason at the slight jab. "An update on the demigod forces and our o so precious Olympians." Taking a pause to glance around he then continued on. "From the looks of it the Argos are set to take off by noon tomorrow and will continue their trek to us though, considering the distance and metaphysical cut-off of the 'Land of the Gods' and the North, they'll probably land just a few miles short but within view of Mount Cartier."

"Think they'll actually try to personally attack?" Styx asked as a diagram of the area surrounding the mountain floated before her.

"Normally I would say no and that they would plan around sending the demigods as fodder to try and feel out our defenses," Nico spoke up as he tapped his chin. "But then again we've aggravated them beyond normal levels and they don't have their calming factors. Athena is here, Hades and Hestia are already known as traitors to them, and they already suspect that Poseidon abandoned them. Zeus is pulled thin trying to reign in Artemis and Hera, Apollo and Hermes have never been the sort to wait and strike in measured form, and Hephaestus generally isn't the type for front-line assaults. So far Bellona is their most leveled goddess and only one isn't enough to control an entire army so it's very possible they several gods will act independently, especially those foaming at the mouths for blood."

"Then you have to consider the newest problems coming in from New Rome," Hestia added as she seemed to stare into the hearth's flame, probably looking through into other hearths in said city. "Aphrodite is MIA now with every kind of theory being thrown around from her deserting to kidnappings and assassinations. She may not have mattered much in the organization of the city or war effort but the fact that as a god, her absence has been noticed and the reasons behind it could lead to their worst fears."

"And that unease is being relayed between the city and the army via IM's meaning that it's another blow to the morale of the army," Rhea surmised before frowning slightly. "But that might not be a good thing." At some of the interested looks, as well as a confused glance from Styx, Rhea elaborated further. "It's true that with less morale they will be easier to defeat or even force into submission rather than killing them but the danger is if they already start turning on the Olympians before that. The gods are angry, scared, and feel cornered making them dangerous to not only themselves but their allies and children. I wouldn't put it past them to strike out and make examples of any demigod wishing to retreat or surrender."

"Several of the older demigods are of a similar opinion," Percy spoke up as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Some are really starting to consider what we said during our attack and many of the younger, less experienced ones don't want to fight. Period. But they are too scared to speak up and the demigods themselves are divided in that sense as well."

"Let me guess, those of roman origin are more aligned to the Olympians?" Thalia asked as she flicked a tiny bolt of lightning between her fingers.

Percy nodded before giving a heavy sigh. "Their mind set is more in line with that of a large, unified unit and especially militaristic, not to mention they watched the execution of a patron god for them. Plenty of them are out for blood, both personally and due to their conditioning meaning …" he trailed off as Jason and his fellow former demigods grimaced at that.

It was one thing thinking about having to fight former allies, it was another coming to grips with it actually happening in the near future. Jason couldn't help but picture one tanned face with intense brown eyes, spear and shield in hand with the cape of a praetor billowing behind her. He could only hope that he wasn't the one to meet her in the battle field.

"Will we be attacking them again before they can settle out of the Argos?" asked Thalia as she waved her hand, portal projections of the nearly repaired ships from overhead appearing.

"No," Percy replied firmly. "Hitting them while disorganized might be beneficial but then again, the actual casualties might rise with the way they suffered friendly fire before. It might be annoying but letting them set up their own camps will let us pick out and separate certain gods easier."

That got some agreeing nods from the group, knowing that their targets were not above hiding behind their own forces or using them as meat shields if a similar attack is carried out. Besides, considering how they can't keep a track of Pontus or Poseidon at the moment, it was preferable to be close to their home. Silence reigned for a few moments before Nico cleared his throat to draw attention. Once he had it, he spoke up.

"What about things on the mortal front?" he asked, looking at Rhea and then shifting to the silent Andromeda, the goddess having focused all her attention onto a tablet in her hands while nervously biting her lip.

Though before he could call to get her attention Phoebe spoke up with a tone of amusement in her voice.

"Well I think things are going well, after all, someone has become a bit of a celebrity in recent days," she said, getting a sheepish chuckle and embarrassed blush from the reigning queen.

Jason snorted in humor himself, remembering the veritable wave of videos, pictures, and news broadcasts that came from Rhea's little visit. Her speaking to the Pope for an hour or two on that balcony with tea and cookies of all things, though only Rhea herself and the Pope are aware of what was discussed as far as the mortals were concerned. However it was the next few hours she spent in the square itself, giving greetings, healing minor things, and even playing with some children at a point was what really started to get all sorts of attention.

It stood to reason that Rhea's visit and undeniable proof of something mystic existing before them was both a great inspiration as well as a source of fear for the masses. Sure, Rhea's calming aura and friendliness won over many but many groups, especially those associated with power derived from the masses or those who have held hereditary power for generations were unnerved. It was no secret that a good chunk of popular vote for some countries was derived from candidates striving for the belief of their religious figure, whatever it may be. Now however, no empty claims could be made with there being actual physical proof of a deity being present.

How many could claim they follow the will of their god(s) in question without the presence and support of, as far as they are aware, Rhea in this case. How many will fear that their claims or any dealings done behind locked rooms will come to light and even suffer true divine retribution? After all, when Percy destroyed that illegal underground club with Ares' capture, plenty of politicians and members of the police force had been present and so met their ends. Then of course there are the groups that see a female deity as an attack on their own beliefs, thus making their reactions the most volatile as of yet.

' _Fanatics,'_ Jason internally groaned as he noticed the others murmuring to themselves what could be the next step after Rhea's visit. Of course they settled down after a few minutes, deciding unofficially to simply keep an open eye and possibly contact yet another global figure or group to slowly adjust the mortals to their continued presence, having already obtained positive interactions with the Canadian and British government as well as leaving a rather amiable visage with the Pope.

That being said, it worried him if other gods or even Pontus himself would try to interact with the mortals as well. They were pretty sure that Pontus would only use them as fodder at best if he did but it was the diversion of their attention that could become problematic.

"Andy!"

Percy's sharp call brought Jason out of his thoughts as he glanced up to see Andy had jumped as well, almost dropping her tablet and looking at her king with almost owlish eyes.

"Y-yes?" she stuttered out at the beginning before clearing her throat and really paying attention.

"What's got you so worked up?" he asked as he glanced down at the tablet now resting on her lap.

Jason noted that it had the gold edges meaning it was noting for a god but curiously, the little heart icon on the side was slowly turning into a deep red inching towards the center of light blue and small cracks were forming on the sides. Just looking at him gave him a sense of worry as he brought his attention back to the now squirming goddess. She glanced around before returning her gaze to Percy.

"I was monitoring Athena …" she said before pausing and biting her lip more before continuing. "… And it's getting bad. If she keeps holding out the way she is, then … she'll break."

That got some frowns and grimaces all around, the others having discussed and known, especially the consequence should Athena fail Andromeda's test. It left a somewhat dry feeling in Jason's mouth, knowing what would happen should Athena break. The mention of which put a damper on the mood quickly, only for Rhea to clear her throat and try to move the conversation along to other avenues, even if at the back of several minds, it was a wonder what would happen with the captured goddess…

* * *

 **A Day Later, Medusa**

Her gaze had been on the door for the last hour, almost unblinking and uncaring of some of the looks she got from the rare god that passed by. They didn't matter to her at the moment, only what was happening to the goddess behind that very door. Medusa chewed on her lip slightly as she thought on whether she would go in or not. Could her going in even do anything for the goddess? Would the sight be something that Medusa would be even willing to remember if she did?

All those questions plagued her mind and unsettled her more and more until she took a shaky breath to try and calm herself. ' _Being out here doesn't do anything … but maybe …'_ she stopped the thought even as she looked more intently at the doors and before she registered it, her hand was already on the handle. She turned it and soundlessly opened the door to step in, the sound of pained groans and heavy panting reaching her ears.

She quickly closed the door behind her and turned, a frown in place, as she looked at the sight before her. Athena was still strung up by her wrists, her hair and dress plastered to her with sweat as her chest heaved with every breath, the smell of arousal being almost stifling. The tattoo-like collar around her neck glowing an almost angry red and flashing every few minutes making Athena wince or gasp. Athena had never seemed weaker and out of her element than now … and the sight brought nothing but pain to Medusa. Quietly she walked up to the distressed goddess, trying to keep her face blank even as Athena finally managed to focus her clouded grey eyes on her.

"W-what … do y-you … want?" she rasped out, looking as if it was exhausting to just move her head. "… Come to … mock me?" she asked, managing to just add a slight edge to her voice.

"Why do you think I want to mock you?" she asked gently, having stopped just before the goddess.

"What else … could you w-want?" Athena asked back before arching her back with a wince. "You a-already got … to spill ev-verything on me. What else i-is there until … I become a …"

"Don't!" Medusa cut her off sharply as she stepped closer. "You won't … you'll …"

Medusa trailed off, unsure what to say. The Athena she was currently seeing was almost a stranger to her. The Athena she knew was stubborn and proud but also sure footed, scrappy, thoughtful, the type of woman and person to always try and move forward. This Athena though seemed to only hold onto the last vestiges of her pride through sheer stubbornness, seemingly unable to even see the answer Andy wants from her. And worst of all, to Medusa it seemed like she was giving up. That she couldn't find her answer so she was resigning herself to her fate, a fate that Andromeda wouldn't allow regardless if Athena failed.

But Medusa couldn't tell her that. She couldn't give Athena the answers to end this torture, otherwise the lesson will never be learned but then again, this brought to perspective on what demigods and gods alike had to face on their own. Never before had the term 'fatal flaw' really driven such a sense of worry and fear in Medusa, especially as she watched her former idol suffer thanks to it.

"Why…?" Medusa found herself asking as she looked at the goddess. "… why are you just giving in?"

The goddess looked at her through strained eyes, grimacing slightly as she adjusted herself.

"You already know about Andromeda's offer to stop this… and the consequence if you keep holding out like this so why?"

"I w-won't … become her … tool," Athena tried to bite out as her eyes hardened slightly.

"You're lying to yourself. You know she wouldn't do that to you," Medusa retorted.

"Do I!?" Athena snapped, pulling at her wrists slightly as she leaned forward. "I won't … I won't serve her or anyone!"

"Is that it?" Medusa asked harshly as she stepped to barely an inch away from the goddess. "So the mighty and _proud_ goddess wouldn't bow to anyone and is choosing her own destruction instead? So a glorified suicide just to try and keep your image intact!?" Medusa snarled back, watching as Athena almost reeled at her tone. "So is this all you really are then?" she asked, this time her voice coming out softer, almost disappointed. "Taken out of your element and control, and now you're just going to hang there and wait for the end? I know that you know what will happen if this keeps up, you're too smart to not figure it out. But that's what you want then? For you mind to break to your body, letting you 'die' and leaving behind a body that just looks like you? All for what … pride?"

Silence was her only answer as the goddess lowered her head, her entire body seemingly going slack. Medusa sighed as she looked away for a moment, feeling the stinging of her eyes as she wiped at them but to no success. She then looked back at the goddess, both enraged and sad at the sight.

"Then, if this is really your end, then I at least want some answers," she started, getting Athena to just barely raise her head enough for their eyes to meet. Having her attention, Medusa continued. "So why? All those years ago, why did you curse me, even if you couldn't truly attack Poseidon without causing backlash in Olympus? What drove you to hurt me when all I could have wanted and needed was your comfort and help?"

Athena turned her face away, unable to meet Medusa's gaze but the pseudo-goddess wasn't about to let her get away.

"Answer Athena! Why, after everything I did for you and dedicated my life to you, was I the one to be struck down!?" She snarled as Athena seemed to try and curl in on herself. "Or Arachne! She was your trusted friend and didn't even know about you being a god yet you punish her for something as simple as a weaving contest!? What could have possibly been going through your mind!?" she all but roared as the goddess trembled. "Answer me!"

"I don't know!" Athena suddenly shouted back as she finally looked back at Medusa, tears pouring down her eyes as she looked back at her one time priestess. "I don't know …" she repeated weakly through a muffled sob as Medusa remained silent, wondering if the goddess would add anything to it, however where once silence would have been was nothing more than Athena's choked sobbing.

Medusa knew at this point Athena could barely even keep her mind clear enough to try and find reason or explain something from millennia ago. She could already see the cracks and breaks increasing in her features as all the pressure and stress was finally getting to her.

It was only a matter of time before she broke.

"I … see …" Medusa mumbled out, clenching her fists as her hair obscured her eyes.

She turned around, away from the sobbing goddess.

"Then … I guess this is goodbye," she murmured, barely noticing how Athena's sobs tapered off. "… This is the last time I'll visit before you …" she trailed off with a thick swallow, unwilling to say what will happen.

Shaking her head as tears trailed down her cheeks, she made for the door, her hand reaching for the handle.

"… 'orry …"

However she paused as she barely caught the whisper.

"I-m … so-rry …"

She definitely heard it this time and was almost shocked into disbelief as she slowly turned to see teary grey eyes looking at her as Athena repeated, "I'm … sorry."

Medusa walked towards her, almost in a daze as she neared Athena. Stopping only a few inches away she looked into the eyes of the goddess, _really_ looking and searching. Gone was glint or sheen of defiance and condescension, that hardened gaze used as a façade to keep so many others at a distance and away from finding her own flaws. Instead she found both fear and resignation to her own end but also more. A last determination to finish something, as if looking to right one wrong before it was too late.

"I'm sorry … for everything …" she whispered out, lips trembling and with an air of fragility even as Medusa detect no trace of lies within her voice. "Even if … I don't deserve …"

Athena didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Medusa reached up to the shackles at her wrists. With a touch they snapped open, dropping the surprised goddess before her legs gave out but Medusa caught her. She fell to her knees with Athena in her arms, the blonde head resting against her shoulder as Medusa slowly wrapped her arms around the goddess making the blonde in question stiffen. She simply held onto the goddess for some time, trying to make sense of her own actions before she gently whispered.

"T-that's all I wanted to hear … I know we can't turn back time or change anything that happened, but's in the past and after days of seeing you like this, I believe you've already suffered enough," she said, one hand absentmindedly running over Athena's back, a twinge of guilt welling in her gut as her fingers traced the scars now marring the goddess' back. "And even in the end, you were always precious to me so I … I forgive you …" she completed, almost sobbing at the end.

By now Athena had been trembling as she held onto Medusa but with her last words, something seemingly snapped. In a torrent Athena's silence turned into agonized cries, babbling sorry and all manner of little words she could get in as she held onto Medusa for dear life. Like a mother tending to her toddler Medusa held her close and just let her get it out of her system. As the goddess cried Medusa saw the tattoo like collar flash one more time before crumbling with a snap, the last of the tension in Athena's body leaving her as the goddess' cries slowly tapered down into soft sobs and sniffles, still mumbling about being sorry in between.

Then, after what felt like hours Athena was finally silent, having cried herself to sleep after having been exhausted and stressed beyond reason while staying awake for nearly a week straight. Looking down at the peaceful face of Athena as the goddess subconsciously snuggled into her bosom, Medusa couldn't help but let a happy tear flow down as she lightly kissed the blonde on her head.

She then heard the small shuffle of clothing and looked back to see Andromeda leaning against the door frame, a sad smile on her face as she looked at the sleeping blonde as well. Shaking her head softly she stepped closer as she waved her hand, a soft looking blanket appearing in her hands before she draped it over Athena.

"Take her back to your apartment and once she's rested, get her showered and fed before bringing her back to speak before the council," Andy lightly ordered as she tucked some of Athena's hair out of her face.

"You would trust her to me?" Medusa asked, slightly surprised since she assumed Andy would take her into custody and have her sworn into an oath of loyalty. Seemingly reading Medusa's mind, Andy clarified.

"I have a feeling she won't try a runner once she wakes up and being near a familiar face will be better for her. As for an oath to keep things secure, I'm pretty sure she'll be open to the general citizen oath while we try to clear the air with her, though I will be keeping an eye on her for the time being."

Medusa nodded at the explanation before slowly standing, holding Athena in a princess carry before looking to Andromeda.

"Thank you for giving her a chance," she said earnestly though Andy just waved it off.

"I had a feeling she's one of the few we could still have hope for. Just take care of her for now," Andy replied before Medusa nodded, slowly dissolving into shadows, and precious cargo in toe…

* * *

 **Evening, Annabeth**

The blonde goddess panted lightly as her running slowed to a light jog, her sword at the ready to her side. She'd been running none stop for over 24 hours now, making a steady way north and nearing the veritable beacon of divine power coming further ahead. She knew that was her destination, the home of the Primordials … and the location of her mother. Still, she could feel herself getting closer to the metaphysical border of what was known as the Land of the Gods and would soon start to feel her own power waning.

Thankfully she had been constantly training even after achieving godhood, making her one of the more powerful goddesses of Olympus, only coming short of key warriors like her mother, Artemis, Bellona, and if old books were accurate, Hestia once upon a time. That being said, once truly passed the borders her ability to recover power would tapper off so she would have to be efficient and limit the use of divine abilities. Luckily with her large stores of power and carrying a hearty amount of nectar and ambrosia should keep her functioning at a godly level long enough to reach the mountain.

Sighing to herself she finally came to a stop, able to hear the water running of a river a slight distance away, lightly wiping away the sweat trailing her brow as she glanced around to see if she had any form of company. Oddly enough she had several run in with monsters, mostly some hellhounds, a few dracaena, and even two frost giants which was especially odd considering it was barely even Fall yet. Shaking her head at the oddity of it, she reached for her pack to get a drink before halting, getting a prickling sensation at the back of her head and tipping her off that she was being watched.

Hearing a twig snap, she crouched lower, sword at the ready as she slowly scanned around her. Her heart slowly sped up as adrenaline started to course through her veins. All seemed silent for a moment and then, all Hades broke loose. With a booming roar nearly a dozen 10 foot cyclops, some sporting armor and banners of Poseidon leapt out from the trees and some covered in water having obviously come from the river.

"So he's a traitor too, figures," Annabeth grumbled as she quickly looked around the cyclops, waiting for them to attack.

She didn't need long as the first two rushed her, their height nearly doubling hers as both swung their clubs down together, intent on crushing the minor goddess quickly. However, if they thought they had easy prey, then they had another thing coming. With practiced grace Annabeth sidestepped the dual attack before twisting on her heel while bringing her sword up in an arc. One of the cyclops screamed as his hand was severed at the wrist, his partner in attack staring dumbly for all of two seconds as sludge like blood squirted out.

Two seconds too slow.

In that time Annabeth leapt like a gazelle, sword flashing before it cleaved through the second cyclops along the eye, making the monster burst into dust before so much as uttering a scream. Not losing any momentum Annabeth barely touched down on the ground before taking a two handed grip and swinging her sword like trying to hit a homerun, slicing through the first cyclops gut, armor and all, in two. As the monster gurgled something intangible and burst into dust, the goddess turned her gaze on the remaining nine monsters, her eyes hardening as she leveled both the pressure of her power and killing intent on them.

Several started to shake before some got the nerve to attack and the goddess rushed forward to meet them. Dropping to her knees and sliding along as one cyclops swung his sword, she simply raised hers as she passed between his legs. Ignoring the pained scream/squeal before another burst of dust, she jumped up, slammed a foot squarely into the chest of the next cyclops. The force of the blow launched the giant off his feet and into two cyclops behind him before she was forced to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed under an obscenely large mace.

However another cyclops had managed to get behind her and she looked up with the shout to see another sword coming down on her. Raising her own, she grunted as she blocked the blow even as the ground beneath her feet cracked from the pressure. Growling in annoyance, she pushed back and before the cyclops could try to swing again she spun around and stabbed her sword into the cyclops gut. Though before she could pull her sword back out another one tried to tackle her off all things, managing to actually land the blow while knocking some of the air out of her. Gritting her teeth at feeling the impact of monstrous muscle and hard earth beneath her, Annabeth quickly shifted her arms to lock around the cyclop's neck as it held onto her waist.

Feeling a secure hold she scoffed before arching back, squeezing, and adding a slight twist all at the same time. A satisfying crunch answered her as she snapped the monster's neck before it burst into fine gold dust, leaving her coated in the stuff. Standing up and spitting out a glob of it, she quickly counted the remaining opponents, six cyclops looking back at her while growling and snarling in anger at having seen their brethren taken out so easily.

She noticed however that her sword was closer to them than her making her sigh in annoyance, however, using the pause in combat, she decided to try and get some information from them.

"You, with the armor bearing Poseidon's coat of arms," she started, pointing to one of the largest and best armed of the cyclops. "Why are you attacking me? Aren't you a member of Poseidon's army? You do realize you're attacking a goddess of Olympus, correct?"

The behemoth scoffed before answering in a gruff voice, even if his speech was far better than a run of the mill cyclops. "Goddess of Olympus," he spat with clear distaste. "King is no longer a fool or lapdog, knows that the end of Olympus is near. Training to get stronger, _much_ stronger. For now, under orders of another, weakening Olympus where we can," he said as he leveled a larger, clearly better made sword at Annabeth.

"Hard to believe someone would send such a large party just for little old me," she retorted even as she tried to plan a way to get her weapon back.

She could summon one to herself but that would act like a beacon to other deities and waste her energy, not to mention aside from her own symbol of power, anything summoned would probably be sub-par to the sword in the clearly experienced cyclop's hands. Also, there was the fact that her own symbol of power, while a weapon and dangerous in its own right, was something more suited to compliment other weapons or at a stretch, one on one combat. Here she doubted the other cyclops, probably the more experienced of the bunch, would try to pile on her in order to overwhelm her.

Sadly it didn't seem that they were willing to wait for her to think up a scheme as two charged again, both with swords this time around forcing her to backpedal. They worked in unison with stabs and occasional swings as she wove in and out of the attacks, her eyes taking in all movement. Suddenly, spotting a slight pause in attack Annabeth lunged forward, almost feeling the graze of one sword having stabbed where her head used to be.

Having closed in she managed to grab the wrist of one cyclops just as the second recovered after the miss and turned to her, a stab already in motion. However she reacted in tandem and pulled the cyclops she had by his arm right into the path of his partner's sword. Two cries, one of pain, the other of surprise met her ears as the cyclops burst after being impaled on his comrade's sword. Taking advantage of the shock Annabeth leapt up and over the cyclops, her hands grabbing onto his head all the while.

Landing squarely on the cyclop's shoulder's she grunted as she pulled up … violently. Another loud snap rung throughout the forest as the cyclops went limp and feel to his knees before slumping over with a slight twitch before bursting into dust. Annabeth took a quick breath as she turned her attention to the remaining cyclops before muttering, "Four to go."

The lead cyclops grunted as he held his sword. "You good." He then surged forward at a speed she didn't even know cyclops could move and swung. Only her reflexes and instincts trained through hours of blood, sweat, and tears saved her from being cleaved apart but she still suffer a gash to her side just above the hip on her left making her grimace. "But not unbeatable."

Growling in annoyance she leapt back to gain some breathing room as she eyed the clearly more dangerous commanding cyclops. She desperately wanted to conserve energy, as well as stay off the Olympian senses, otherwise her running off with only a few orders to the army would have been pointless. Still, it seemed she would have to get far more serious, at least to the point of channeling some of her power to go above her barest minimums of power use in order to kill the commander. However, when in a bad situation, she always had one fall back. Get the opponent talking while you plan.

"Tell me, you said you're following someone else's orders with Poseidon gone for training." Seeing the slight nod, she continued as she slowly inched around the commander. "Then what about Tyson, the Commander General of the Cyclops Army?"

"Commander doesn't like other leader but obeys for now. Leader tell him that Olympian make him lose brother," the commander answered making Annabeth frown.

' _So Tyson isn't completely informed. I wonder if there is any way to reach him?'_ she wondered as she tried to move closer to her sword that laid behind three other cyclops. However, before she could get another word in, a new voice spoke up.

"I've been wondering about Tyson for a while now. Sad to hear that he's being lied to but hopefully I can get ahold of him soon."

"Wha-"

Annabeth didn't get to finish her statement as she and the cyclops commander both turned to the other three cyclops in time to see a blur of black pass through them. The three didn't even get to scream as they burst into dust, letting Annabeth see someone she's both hoped and dreaded to meet.

Lazily sheathing his black katana, hood pulled back to clearly show his face, and standing over the disposed of monsters was Percy. Only now did she truly register his presence, quite possible thanks to him no longer cloaking himself, and the sheer pressure of it already made her knees weak. She wasn't the only one suffering under it as the cyclops was visibly shaking as those eyes of writhing black fire and ice pinned him to the spot.

Then, before she could even blink, he moved. One moment he stood some meters away, the next he was already barely inches away from the mammoth of a cyclops, however with his back turned to the monster. She could hear the smooth sound of the black katana being re-sheathed at an agonizingly slow pace, seemingly carrying on forever until…

 **Click.**

At the sound, while the commanding cyclops looked on in confusion, several black lines appeared along his body. Across his face, torso, neck, and hips. The noise from flesh rubbing and sliding nearly made Annabeth wretch as the cyclops slowly feel apart, only to burst into dust before he could even hit the ground.

Now all that there was, was silence. Intense grey eyes looked to swirling black, two legends in their own rights, trained and tested warriors, scorned lovers separated at the mechanisms of the gods, and now, enemies of an all new war. At this moment Annabeth couldn't help wonder if her choice to head north had been all that smart, feeling like a blonde bunny being stared down by the most dangerous wolf around…

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 **Hope everyone enjoyed this loooooong overdue chapter. Finally some breakthroughs with key figures and time to move forward to others! comments, thoughts, ideas, let me hear them all! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	38. Collision

**Another chapter and only two weeks this time! Still trying to be a little more consistent with my writing folks so bare with me here. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you guys think. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

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Steely grey eyes met black and icy blue, barely a few meters separating them. One armed and practically humming with power, the other coursing with adrenaline, taking in every detail around her. Percy looked at the goddess before him, the girl turned woman that had meant so much to him, had been his reason for bearing through every struggle and day of suffering, and even passing the very pits of Tartarus for.

The girl that broke his heart and ran away.

Just looking at her made his emotions conflict and rage beneath the impassive surface of his face. This was no longer a larger battlefield where she was merely a minor force and of little concern. Right now it was only her to take his focus and with no clear objective, he was oddly unsure of what to do.

He hadn't come for any particular reason. Sure, he'd known she was approaching, after all, he'd gotten her brother's prayer and he'd watched her travel. Honestly he'd wasn't planning on confronting her like this but after sensing the arrival of the cyclops, he had been more curious to see why they were here. It had also been entertaining to see her dispatching them so easily, even if the last commander would have taken some more effort than usual but nothing special all things considered.

Still he did intervene, slicing past the cyclops with little to no resistance. Then again, he'd gotten used to fighting top tier monsters in the pits, all being stronger, faster, and tougher than anything short of beings like Elder cyclops, major deities, and other ancient monsters would seem like small fry. Still, even as he briefly glanced at the monster remains, he kept the goddess within his sight as he released a tensed sigh.

Unsure of how to proceed, he opened his hand in the direction of her sword, a tendril of shadow condensing, grabbing the blade, and tossing it his way. Catching it swiftly, he tossed it, handle first, to the goddess. Annabeth looked at it and caught it easily enough before strapping it into her sheath at her hip. With the sword away Annabeth returned her attention to him, looking far more timid than he could ever remember from her. The awkward silence crept on for some time, neither really speaking up and Percy was seriously considering just turning around and walking away but before he did Annabeth finally broke the silence.

"Per-" she started.

"Why are you here, Chase?" he cut her off, the depth and growl within his voice causing her to flinch slightly and glance away.

She raised her head again even as her fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly at her sides. Taking a deep breath to calm down before leveling her eyes with his.

"I came because I needed to speak with the new primordials … and I needed to see you too," she said, her voice becoming softer at the end.

"Why?" he asked, the growl in his voice becoming more prominent even if he already had an idea.

"I needed to ask about my mother," she replied, glancing away for a moment before looking at him again. "Is … How is she being treated?"

' _Is she suffering like Ares was?'_ Percy mentally added for her as he looked into those grey eyes, seeing the worry beneath as clear as day.

"She's safe," he replied after a minute or so of silence. "A rough week but she came out in decent shape and now just needs some rest." He then turned around, his back to her as he prepared to walk away, otherwise he risked the irritation growing into more the longer he stayed looking at her.

"So you're not going to …?"

"Torture and execute her? No, but she still has a small hearing before the council before the official decision for her fate is taken though things seem to be looking up for her," he answered much to her visible relief when he looked over his shoulder though he did question himself on why he was being so forthcoming. For all intents and purposes she was still an enemy goddess at the moment. He was broken out of his thoughts however when Annabeth spoke up again.

"W-would it be possible…"

"Don't even think about it," he interrupted again, this time a scowl visible on his face.

Looking her in the eyes he slowly drew his katana again, seeing the tensing of her arms. Then, with equal parts grace and skill, he spun on his heel in a full circle while slashing down at the ground in front of her. She squinted her eyes as a sudden blast of air buffeted her as the earth was ripped in front of her. As the dust settled a clear cut running through the earth and out of sight in both directions divided them.

"You aren't an Olympian," he spoke again as he sheathed his katana, back to her again. "Therefore you are not a target but you are still affiliated with Olympus. You are nearly in our territory and we won't let you pass as you please so turn back … otherwise I'll be taking you in. If you know what's good for you you'll turn back now."

Silence was all that answered him so he started to walk, his left hand clenched and resisting the urge to attack like Jason nearly had when he first saw Piper again. This wasn't good though, he knew his temper was flaring again and he would either need to head to Tartarus and cut down entire legions of monsters or spar with his fellow council members to get rid of his frustrations. However things didn't go as planned once he sensed the goddess actually moving forward.

"I'm sorry Percy but I can't just-"

 **Clang!**

He had to admit, he was slightly impressed. His katana had been drawn and slashed while closing the distance in a fraction of a second but the blonde goddess managed to draw her own blade and narrowly block, even if the force made her buckle down to one knee, her left foot being clearly past the line he'd carved. Her arms and sword were trembling as he slowly upped the pressure, looking at her with narrowed eyes as she looked back at him almost defiantly, sweat starting to gather on her brow.

He internally smirked as he started to lean forward, pushing the goddess back even as the ground beneath her feet started to crack. Then, before she could react he pulled back causing her to stumble forward but then he flipped his katana around to the blunt edge before swinging it again like a bat. The blow caught her along the flat of her sword, the force blowing her back until she slammed into and through a tree behind her.

He watched silently as the tree fell and the slight dust settled, observing as the goddess shook herself before slowly getting back up. He didn't show it but he approved of her getting back up. If that blow alone had been enough to truly keep her down, he would have simply cut her down just to end her misery. Still, he was annoyed with her tenacity as well, especially since she was walking back towards him again.

"Has becoming a goddess done away with that wisdom you were so proud of?" he asked in an icy tone as the flames of his eyes writhed more while his pupils narrowed to nearly slits.

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "But it need to keep going and see my mother and make sure she really is safe before I speak to them."

"I already said she was fine," he said as he kept his sword level at his side.

"And you'd take me for a fool if I just believed it at face value," she retorted sharply before raising her sword and looking directly into his eyes.

"And you're not being a fool right now? You won't get passed me so just turn and run, you're good at that last time I checked," he said scathingly making her wince before her eyes hardened. "Last chance or I cut you down."

As he said that he took some steps back, being able to see the line and her, as if daring her to continue even after he already gave her more chances than she deserved in his opinion. She glanced between him and the line, her grip on her sword tightening as she took a deep breath.

"I'm done running," she said as she walked again, stepping fully passed the carved line.

He grit his teeth, a growl breaking free as he looked at the goddess before biting out, "So be it."

And so he attacked, his katana held in a single wield as he closed the distance as her eyes widened but she still reacted on instinct and raised her defense. The collision was instantaneous and Percy watched as the goddess visibly grit her teeth at dealing with the pressure. But he wasn't about to let up in the slightest. He turned the downward slash into a horizontal swipe, grinding his blade's edge against hers in a strike that could have lopped her head off but she managed to duck under it.

She then rolled with the momentum before hopping to her feet before initiating the attack herself. He raised an eyebrow at her speed, completely surpassing what she showed when fighting the cyclops and even possibly moving faster than during their attack. Still he raised his sword to block, grunting a little at the force before shoving back and, faster than she could adjust, lashed out with a left fist nailing her straight in the gut.

She nearly folded over his fist as she spit out spittle with a gasp and was launched back into the ground, crashing a small trench until her momentum finally bled off … right back on the other side of the line dividing them. He stood silently as the dust and debris settled, watching as the goddess coughed as she turned over and slowly forced herself back up. He shook his head as he lowered his blade and spoke up, irritation dripping off his voice.

"You know, if you're going to be this stubborn to get passed me, then maybe using more power or even going into divine form would help."

Annabeth turned around again as she wiped a smug of dirt close to her right eye before looking at him, breathing slightly heavier than before but not looking at all that damaged from the blow. He had to admit, she was built of tough stuff then.

"I didn't sneak away just to be traced if I use my power," she replied as she readied her sword again.

"Then why bother?" he asked, glancing at the division between them before returning his full attention to the blonde goddess. "You can't beat me like this and I already gave you answers about your mother. Just turn back Chase," he said as he turned around himself, already on edge and wanting to go home himself.

"Percy! Wait!" she called, making him pause as he turned around to look at her even as he sheathed his sword yet again.

"You are really trying my patience here goddess," he spat angrily but Annabeth remained resolute as she looked at him. Then, with a breathe to steady out, she spoke up.

"Then, at least hear me out."

"Why?" he asked with narrowed eyes. "What more could I possibly want with you?" Seeing her familiar look as she glanced around in thought, he scoffed drawing her attention. "And don't try making offers. You have nothing I want or need," he said, ' _Anymore,'_ he mentally completed.

With his piece said he turned and started to walk again but then he caught the sound of her approaching yet again, this time almost at a jog. Then, before her next footfall could even land on the other side of the line, he moved and in an instant, was before her. He lashed out with a kick, hitting her in the gut and knocking her several meters back.

He was breathing heavy now as his anger built. Didn't she see! He was trying to let her go, to her home and family, to answer her brother's prayer. But she just kept coming, even as she stumbled slightly and slumped her shoulders from the hit, she walked up again while looking him in the eyes. Again she got almost over the line and again he struck, an uppercut that nearly cracked her chin as she sailed through the air for several seconds before landing in a heap.

"Just stay down," he growled out as he cracked his fists from clenching them so hard.

She shook her head even as she slowly got back up much to his growing anger and turned towards him again.

"Stay back," he said through grit teeth even as his right hand drifted towards the hilt of his sword.

"Percy … please," she said softly as she kept walking.

"I'm warning you," he almost whispered, his eyes obscured by his hair as his hand clenched around the hilt of his sword.

The blonde only shook her head stubbornly even as she stumbled slightly letting Percy notice that she was favoring her right side.

"I won't run," she murmured as she got to the line, foot raised.

Then, before she could set her foot down he moved, all but teleporting to mortal and even most immortals eyes with his katana swinging. Then, his own narrowed eyes widened at the sight before him, shock and disbelief. He blinked once, twice, even going as far as thrice as he looked to make sure he was seeing clearly … and he was. Annabeth had dropped her sword, leaving herself completely vulnerable while the edge of _Purgatory_ rested at her throat, almost close enough to kiss her skin.

His hand holding the sword was starting to tremble, looking her in the eyes as his inner turmoil grew. All he needed was to lean closer. One flick and her head would roll, one nick and his Voidice would spread, trapping and slowly consuming her until she faded leaving a hollow statue. So many was to possibly have her at his mercy … and yet he couldn't go through with it.

"Why?" he asked, his tone both angry and nearly pleading as her own eyes got misty.

"Because you weren't going to do it, in the end you're still the seaweed-brain I know," she replied.

"How do you…"

"Then why didn't you kill me the first time?" she interrupted, her eyes boring into his. "What stopped you then?"

"I … I don't know," he answered as his eyes refused to meet. In truth he knew and it wasn't for any other reason than the fact that it had been her.

In that fight he had been so focused on Artemis as the target of his hate that all others simply became extra that he instinctively fought, not really caring _who_ they were. It had only been at the very last minute that he even noticed it was her to begin with and even then it was close. Too close for his liking. He knew the truth just like she did and in the end both were victims even if she willingly ran and hide. It broke his heart and it still hurts at times but even then, he could not hate her. Angry, sad, and disappointed yes but never could he gather the will to hate.

"You knew what I'd done before we fell into Tartarus right?" she asked even as he saw the hint of shame in her eyes.

It wasn't hard for him to understand what exactly she was talking about and slowly he nodded only to get a sad smile from her in turn.

"And even then you still fell with me to Tartarus," she said almost wistfully with a shake of her head before, much to her alarm, stepping finally planting her foot down. The movement finally moved her close enough that the edge of his sword nicked her neck, tiny drops of ichor oozing out. "That's exactly why I need your help now."

Hearing that brought a whole new wave of anger in him as a suddenly snarled while pulling back the blade only for his free hand to latch onto her throat and easily lift her a foot off the ground, cutting off her gasp as his pupils narrowed to slits while the temperature started to rapidly lower around them.

"Is that it?" he growled as the darkness intensified. "So I was a fool for still believing in you **and now you think you can just demand something of me!?** " he practically roared as power coursed through him, turning his finger nails into icy claws and lengthening his fangs while deepening his voice. " **Why goddess? Why would I ever so much as lift a finger for you instead of finishing you off now rather than later!?** " he bellowed, the power and ferocity in his voice booming around them as the night responded to his aggression, thickening as an almost suffocating pressure started to bare down on the choking goddess.

With another snarl he flicked his wrist, tossing the goddess aside with enough force to make her plow throw several meters of hardened earth. She coughed and groaned as she tried to sit up but was stopped as he appeared before her, his foot slamming on her chest and keeping her pinned, ignoring the pang of guilt in his chest as he watched her cough up some ichor.

Keeping the pressure high enough to make sure she couldn't move but not too much so she could speak, her spoke in a low, icy voice.

" **Tell me goddess, why are you here, truly? What could possibly drive you to come alone, almost begging for my help when you know you don't even deserve my help?** "

Annabeth steadily looked at him, a new wetness in her eyes that he could tell weren't faked as she gingerly moved slightly under his foot before trying to slowly reach into her shirt. Seeing that he lowered his foot just enough and watched closely as she reached into her shirt before bringing out a small golden locket, disconnecting it from a small chain, and tentatively offering it to him.

Silence lasted between them for nearly a minute as Percy weighed his options, his sword at the ready in his right hand while his left remained open, icy claws also at the ready. Then, internally sighing, he slowly took the locket and glancing at the goddess again before opening it. Inside was a single picture of two blondes that could have been mistaken for twins save for the eyes and ages, one being an adult and steely grey eyes while the other was a toddler with greyish blue eyes. The happy smiles and the background of a park behind them completed the scene of mother and daughter spending time together.

"I came for family," Annabeth said softly as she slowly sat up after had removed his foot, being more focused on the picture presented to him. Seeing as he had calmed if only barely, she continued on. "I need to speak to the council because I want my siblings spared. Most are only fighting because they want mother back but also because they're unsure what else to possibly do and are too scared of the Olympians."

" **We get prayers so there is no need for you to come personally and my offer from before still stands for them** ," he replied as he took his eyes of the picture to look at her.

"And they aren't so quick to trust. Me coming here and then returning ads credit to your offer. Even if it was a risk to me, I rather take the chance with myself if it saves my family from pointless death," Annabeth countered with more energy to her before lowering her gaze for a moment before looking at him. "And there is another, more personal reason for me seeing you directly."

Percy felt a knot form in his gut as he saw the way she was looking at him. He just knew whatever that was, he was probably going to come close to going ballistic again and with the goddess being the only target in current range, and that was a possibility best avoided. Still, taking a steadying breathe he gave a small nod for her to continue. She nervously squirmed under his gaze for a while, the atmosphere becoming tenser all the while until she finally spoke in a small voice.

"I need you to help in keeping her safe," she started only for Percy to interrupt.

" **Why? She's only a godling so she shouldn't even be close to any battlefields**."

"Maybe so but …" Annabeth trailed off for a moment before steeling herself as she met his gaze. "With this war, I'd rather not take the risk so I decided to ask for the help of the one person that could keep her safe, you."

" **And why me?** " he asked, that feeling of dread growing.

"Because … you're her godfather …"

Shocked disbelief looked on at steely, honest grey eyes. His jaw felt almost unhinged as he looked incredulously at the goddess. Did he hear her right? Did she truly just tell him that he was the godfather of the child born from the affair that began the true breaking of his loyalty and trust? He wasn't petty enough to hate the kid considering she was innocent of any happenings between them but that still didn't mean that he wanted to really even know her, but this?

" **W-what?** " he asked, his fists clenching as a miasma of darkness started to radiate around him.

"That you're her godfa-ah!?"

She was cut off as an unholy amount of pressure and power bore down on her, the ground beneath her and Percy starting to crack as pebbles began to float around the enraged primordial to the point his wings also materialized. His entire demeanor became frigid as his eyes narrowed with rage at the sheer gall of the goddess before him.

Slowly he raised his hand and by his will, the shadows writhed around before forming tendrils around Annabeth with points and edges sharp enough to cut even drakons to shreds and each one was pointed at the immobile goddess. He looked down at her with a blank face, only his narrowed eyes even hinting at the rage underneath even as she looked at him with actual fear and tears in her eyes. His anger was a veritable tempest mixed with confusion as well, constantly questioning this situation and how he would proceed.

Why was his question above all? Why him of so many others, especially when he was practically dead to Olympus less than six months ago and yet here he was, just learning that he apparently had a goddaughter born to the woman who claimed his heart first only to break it. But he couldn't bring himself to ask, not right now at least. He knew there had to be more to this, Annabeth was not someone who acted on mere whims and he doubted naming him godfather was brought through a fit of nostalgia. There was more to this but at the moment he knew he was too angry from the surprise involved, too volatile to even consider a civil discussion at the moment.

So, with just a thought the shadowed blades slowly retreated as the pressure around them gradually lowered as the goddess nervously looked around her. Then her gaze turned to him, still holding some fear even as a pang of hope showed through, possibly thinking that he was coming to accept his apparent role. Sadly for her, he couldn't be farther from accepting at the moment and honestly, seeing her so hopeful about it only angered him more.

"Per—"

" **Silence** ," he growled out, the pressure returning with a vengeance for all of a second but it was enough to freeze the goddess.

Taking another breathe as he slowly sheathed away _Purgatory_ , he looked down at the goddess again with indifference. Then, with a sharp whistle, three shadows condensed around them before three hummer sized, obsidian black wolves with clear blue eyes stalked out, their growls thrumming through the very earth as their teeth laid bare to the goddess.

" **I'll humor you goddess and let you pass on. They will escort you to the mountain and you shall speak before the council then** ," he said in a clipped tone before turning his back. " **You had better have a good reason for choosing me, otherwise I might not even be your biggest concern.** "

With his part said, he stepped away without a backward glance. He couldn't look at her or so much as be in her presence any more, not when he was like this. There were few people that were safe around him in such times and so, with another step he was swallowed in darkness. The shadows and void swirled around him for all of two seconds before he stepped out again, this time in a familiar room, at the foot of a king sized bed.

Within the silky black sheets two beauties stirred at his presence, one pair of crimson flame eyes and another of gold with hints of emerald looked at him in clear worry, probably after having felt his momentary lapse in control. Just seeing them and their concern for him worked to steady him, his claws reverting to nail and his fangs receding to their shorter size as the darkness calmed around him. Without a word they sat up as he stepped closer, his blades and most of his clothes save for his boxers disappearing in a burst of shadow. None of them spoke, there was simply no need for it now. Their trust and understanding of each other communicated all that was needed between them.

As he set one knee on the bed Rhea came closer before giving him a soft kiss full of warmth and reassurance, easily dousing the earlier torrents of rage clawing at his mind. His body relaxed against her, relishing in her presence before she pulled back only for Hestia to take her place. Another warm and gentle kiss, this time while pulling him farther onto the bed was dealt out as the last of his anger seemingly melted away.

He sighed, feeling so tired all of a sudden as he slumped down into the bed, Rhea and Hestia each soon taking their claimed spots at his sides clutching at him like a big plushy. Smiling tenderly at them, he was about to move to give them their kisses goodnight but was interrupted when their door slowly opened. All three looked to see Andromeda having come to join them, dressed in one of Percy's shirts and panties as opposed to his queens with their nightgowns.

Silently she closed the door and joined them, crawling onto him until she could give him a kiss as well before shuffling down just enough so that her head rested on his chest while Rhea and Hestia took his shoulders. He smiled down at all three of his wives as he willed the light to dim, leaving them in soothing darkness as his wings curled around all three of them.

Tonight he would simply spend his time and focus on them and in the next few days he would face that goddess again…

* * *

 **With Andromeda, Next Morning**

The primordial of love walked with a little hop to her step, smiling and savoring the morning as the sun started to warm the sleepy streets of the Second district, a few early risers passing greetings to her. Her morning had started out on a rather sober subject, mainly being his interactions and later revelations from Annabeth. Neither Andy nor her queens reacted all that well to the news but managed to calm after a while and then agree on giving Annabeth the meeting before the council. Then, with a report from his wolves Percy was sure Annabeth would arrive tomorrow morning at the latest.

After that subject got discussed Andy had been all for instigating a thorough rump much to the agreements of her queens and king leaving them all deliciously refreshed and ready for the day. After their steamy activities, each went on their own way for whatever plans the day had which came back to what Andromeda was doing now. As she walked through the city she thought back on how her Valkyries were doing, Raven and Piper having returned their first team hunt, this time traveling near the edges of Mexico city. On the accounts from Raven, Piper seemed notably at ease with the tasks at hand and quite suited to calming those they rescued though the number was low this time around with around five young adults brought to Will's clinic.

They were there even now if she remembered correctly but that wasn't why she was out and about. Instead she walked in the direction of the townhomes built in tandem to the shops, the entrances being on a raised walkway above the commercial street below. It only took her a few minutes before she arrived at her destination and rapped her knuckles on the oak door.

For a few minutes the only sounds were the small wind chime hung beside the door before she heard steps coming from the other side. Then, upon opening she was greeted with the sight of Medusa dressed casually in a shirt and jean shorts much like Andy was herself.

"Morning Medusa," she greeted warmly.

"Andy," the pseudo-goddess returned with her own smile before stepping aside. "Please, come in."

Taking the offer she did so, removing her sandals to a small shoe rack before looking at the _Shadow_ intently and asking, "So … how is she?"

Knowing exactly who she was talking about Medusa sighed but before she could answer another voice called softly from down the hall.

"Medusa …?"

Is was very light and gentle, almost shy and had an underlying vulnerability that made Andy smile sadly even if she had expected something like this. Giving an understanding look to Medusa, Andy stepped aside and followed after Medusa as the pair headed inside the house, their steps echoing on the wood floor. After passing the hall they arrived in a rather spacious living room with an adjacent kitchen to the left side. Walls painted in shades of dark blue including the ceiling, some paintings and images of either ancient Greece or nature decorating the space. However it was the large black couch and its sole occupant that took Andy's attention.

There, siting at the end was Athena, dressed in pajamas Andy recognized as Medusa's, with a warm blanket covering her lap and a cup of tea in hand. However, upon spotting Andy, Athena tensed slightly as her eyes widened before she slowly set her cup down and was stood before bowing her head to Andy.

"Hello Lady Andromeda," she said much to Medusa's obvious shocked silence as Andy smiled sadly yet again as she took in the presence of the goddess and her current demeanor.

"Hello Athena," she replied in kind. "How are you?" she asked gently, giving a warm and reassuring smile that seemed to calm the goddess slightly.

"I've been … well," was the soft reply as the goddess sat down, fidgeting with the hem of her pajama shirt making Andy internally sigh.

She had expected something like this and knew the situation with Athena was now going to be delicate, luckily she already had the first steps to help her along with it. So, with a wave of her hand a small portal of shadows formed over her outstretched arms before a box with holes in the sides deposited there. With the shadow dissipating Andy slowly approached Athena as the goddess looked from her to the box and back.

"Here you go," she said as she offered the box much to Athena's confusion and slight curiosity though the curious side to her won out as she gingerly took it.

Glancing at Andy one more time just to get a nod as encouragement, Athena opened the lid only to gasp at what was inside. The three goddesses watched as a small wolf puppy with grey fur reared its head up to look directly back at Athena. With the innocence and curiosity of a baby the pup hopped its front legs onto the box edge before sniffing at Athena and then trying to lick her, whining and lightly yipping excitedly.

Athena for her part looked at the pup in confusion before smiling warmly, stretching a hand out and lightly petting the pup much to its delight as it licked her hand. Giggling softly she picked the pup out of the box and held it to her chest, cooing softly as the pup continued to lick at her, even adding a few barks in between.

"Her name is Anesi," Andy commented as she backed up to stand beside Medusa as Athena idly nodded, her attention completely dedicated to her new little friend.

Seeing Athena thoroughly distracted Andy led Medusa back to the kitchen, just far enough to be out of ear shot if they spoke softly while still being able to see the pair from over the counter separating the kitchen and living room.

"So, how she been in the last few days?" Andy started as she directed her attention to Medusa, the latter still looking on at the scene of the goddess and puppy.

"I think she's doing decent but then again, she's been behaving different. She slept for over 24 hours when we got back and then I managed to get her bathed and fed but she's been oddly clingy," Medusa replied, a tinge of worry coming through her voice. "Honestly I'm concerned about her since I can't recall her ever being this …" Medusa trailed off trying to find the words.

"Let me guess, docile, meek, passive, and other such characteristics," Andy said knowingly getting a nod from Medusa before the pseudo-goddess added more.

"She's also been having trouble sleeping the last two nights to the point she bunked with me both times."

"Do you mind?" Andy asked with a teasing quality to her voice, getting a slight blush from the _Shadow_. Giggling at Medusa's expense for a bit, Andy took a breath and then sighed slowly as she got more serious. "Now, as amusing as it is to use her to tease you, the fact of the matter is that this will be a very delicate situation."

"What do you mean?" Medusa asked as she looked at winged goddess.

"Well first think back to how you were after Percy, Nyx, and Tartarus freed you from your curse. What was it like for you at first?"

Medusa frowned as she considered Andy's words, her eyes glancing around before she slowly responded. "Well for a while I guess I was just trying to comprehend everything. Even if Percy delivered on his promise, I had resigned to my curse and the matching mentality for so long that it was just a shock and half the time I thought I would just wake up to being a monster again… I … I just didn't know what to do with myself after such a change and if it hadn't been for Percy, I don't know what would have happened."

Andy nodded as she crossed her arms under her bust. "Exactly and if I recall right you even cried yourself to sleep several times, with either me or Percy, begging that even if it was a dream, that you wouldn't wake up because you didn't want to go back to your curse," she said getting an embarrassed blush and nod from the pseudo-goddess. "Well then you should have an idea of what is happening to Athena," she continued, looking pointedly to the goddess rubbing the belly of her puppy in her lap. "She's affectively still in shock from what happened to her and now has to cope with it."

"How exactly?" Medusa asked as she looked at the Olympian goddess as well.

"Well think about it. When she finally apologized to you, she essentially accepted her death and try to make amends before it, or at least in the death of her current self after the lust had consumed her being. To accept that only not to be broken but actually being given a second chance was something she didn't expect. I know we haven't exactly given her much reason to believe we could be any better than the Olympians or the Titans before, at least in regards to gods like her but I'm pretty sure part of her is still on guard about what we'll do with her."

"And what are you going to do with her?" Medusa asked as she took her eyes off the blonde goddess only to look at the ravenette.

"Leave her in your care for now, try to visit and help her adjust and see just who she is," Andy replied before glancing at the playing pup. "The puppy will help with that too."

"What do you mean?" Medusa asked in confusion, frowning slightly as she looked back and forth between Athena and Andy.

"Let's put it this way. What causes fear in people?"

Medusa scrunched her brows for a moment in thought before answering. "Many things. Threats to oneself and what we care about, maybe something or someone that once caused us some form of harm or trauma, and the unknown."

"And now here is Athena, basically surrounded by dozens of beings that can be very real threats to both herself and those she cares about, myself being the one that caused the trauma even if it didn't go to the worst case and now she is in a situation she has never known before. She used up a good deal of her power the few times she flared it when angered or trying to escape and being beyond the border of the 'Land of the Gods' means she can't really even recover much power leaving her around the level of a low tier minor god at the moment. Since she hasn't even taken the Oath of Citizenship or even a visitor's oath to make sure she behaves, Styx's city barrier completely prevents her from flashing in and out of the city," Andy explained before pausing as she glanced at the goddess in question to make sure she was still distracted.

"And add the week she spent having her mind pressured and warring with her own body combined with essentially fighting against her own fatal flaw, stripped of any authority, responsibility, or influence to have her way, and having her worst mistakes all used against her. Then, instead of being in an overtly hostile environment or being tortured, or _used_ ," she spat that word with disgust. "She is in a relatively safe space, away from those that want to harm her or even can get to her for that matter, under your care making you a safety point for her and will be left in peace for the time being. She simply has no idea what to do now or adjust along with an environment that she can't control. She basically been left stripped so that leaves the question; who is she now, and just who will she become?"

As she spoke she internally snickered as Medusa's jaw kept dropping with her explanation. Yes, it had been quite the gamble to get to Athena to this point but Andy was confident. As far as she was concerned, Athena had paid her dues and after having a millennia old façade of superiority and pride broken all that was left was for Athena to change and grow. And if there was one goddess that Andy was sure could come back from this experience even stronger than before, it was Athena.

Her musing though was interrupted as Medusa recovered from her explanation, even going as far as rubbing the bridge of her nose before muttering, "But was putting her at risk of literally becoming a sex doll really necessary?"

Andromeda sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose having expected to still get heat for that. Giving Medusa a bland look she asked, "How else would you have created enough pressure to actually make her think about herself and what's she's been and denied for millennia?"

Seeing Medusa's silence she continued on.

"The point was to give her a test to try and teach a lesson. That collar? I had it linked to her mental state and emotions and would only release if Athena became honest with herself. Yes, she was at risk of breaking under the mental stress but as for the whole 'living sex doll', that extreme wouldn't happen unless she actually indulged. The problem is being pumped full of lust like that leaves desires and sensations, which she has little to no experience and therefore no tolerance for, is the risk."

"And what would have happened if the she hadn't become honest with herself and overturned her own fatal flaw?" Medusa asked she glanced at the goddess still sitting farther off on the couch with the puppy now sleeping in her lap.

"It would have gotten to the point that she actually might have started begging for relief and there was the danger since indulging her would have broken the last line of her rational. Of course I could have stopped the collar but that would have left her with the lust and desire accumulated beforehand and that would take possibly weeks to taper off. Then that would mean isolation and possibly even needing to restrain her so she couldn't even indulge herself … and of course leaving her at point zero since she didn't accomplish anything in my test but at the same time I don't want to kill her."

"Couldn't you just, I don't know, drain away those desires?" Medusa asked with a slight tone of skepticism.

Andy gave her a pointed look before asking her own question. "How again was it that gods use their power on other sentient beings?"

"Prayer, sacrifice, willingly opening up, or entering and being part of a domain within the god's control," Medusa answered easily enough.

"So it comes down to invitation," Andy said with a nod before glancing at Athena. "And there is a goddess with one of the strongest minds and wills around fully capable protecting her mind to the point even us primordial would have to put effort to get past it. So, her emotions fall under my domains to an extent, especially those directly related to Love and Desire but at the same time, as a free and sentient mind, I can't just control her like some puppet. Still with me?"

Getting a nod from Medusa Andy continued on.

"So to even affect her to a point I need to either sneak past her defenses, something already highly unlikely considering it's her, or completely overwhelm the defense which I did with the collar even if I tried to limit it to an extent. If I'd had permission or an invitation into her mind before, I could have used lust without any risk of overwhelming her mind and breaking it, just make her as horny as I wanted her to be. Now in the reversed case, she's full of lust and still trying to guard against me so how would I remove the lust?"

"… Take it all in one fell swoop?" Medusa answered unsurely.

"Exactly, I'd have to go over the top but tell me, what's to say I wouldn't accidentally take too much or even remove other emotions that are related to lust?" she asked as she placed her hands on her hips while looking intently at the pseudo-goddess. "I could have possibly turned her into a literal blank slate and, what's worse, the mind just isn't built to deal with so many sudden changes. It could end with her being a vegetable and that's all going on if she failed but was still pumped full of lust. If she had broken to it and needing isolation or risk her going past the point of no return, taking that lust which would have become her drive at that point could cause violent withdrawals," she finished with a slight huff.

Medusa simply looked at her, blinking owlishly as she absorbed all the information. She went as far as to look at Athena for a full minute before looking back to Andy.

"Okay … so what's with the puppy?" she finally asked getting the winged goddess to chuckle softly.

"Like I said, I believe this is all a new start for Athena. True, it was done quicker and more urgently that strictly necessary but no pain no gain. Anyways, it will be good for her to have a small companion that can grow with her and just be a little ball of energy to keep her happy while also giving her something to be a constant. After all, Percy's wolves work wonders with the kids they're assigned to in the clinic and orphanage so I thought Athena could use one too though that pup is purely hers to keep for as long as she wants," she explained. "Which reminds me!" she suddenly chirped as she snapped her fingers and in a flash, a box appeared on Medusa's counter. "Puppy chow, some formula since she isn't completely weened yet and all other goodies and necessities for young pups."

"Don't I get any say in this?" Medusa asked as she looked into the newly arrived box before glancing to Andy. "Taking care of and cleaning up after puppies isn't exactly easy and quick."

Andy gave her a bland look. "You both can clean any mess with a snap of your fingers or just will the shadows to absorb it and the puppy is blessed by Percy meaning she's smart and will grow stronger and healthier that regular wolves. Also you love the wolves too so I don't see why you would complain."

Medusa sighed in defeat with a nod make Andy smirk. However that smirk soon melted into a fond smile as she looked towards the blonde goddess. "You know, at the end of the day the original goal was reached. We wanted Athena out of combat but this way we have a chance of convincing her children to drop out of the fight. This shouldn't be their war but they're the ones currently on the front lines and as much as it pains us, if we meet them on the battlefield, we won't hesitate." She then paused as she looked to Medusa. "Anyways, I should get going. Let me know if you or Athena need anything but I'll try to stop by again later on."

Seeing Medusa nod Andy gave her harem-sister a quick kiss before seeing herself out of the comfy town home. Sighing lightly as she stepped out she gazed up watching as the sun continued its rise before smirking at it. Ever since they dropped the barrier hiding their presence she was sure Apollo could at least make out the mountain from his chariot even if he couldn't actually see the detail of the city or residents thanks to Styx's security barrier. Still, leaving thoughts of that sunny bastard for more important pursuits, she disappeared in a puff of lavender smoke only to reappear in another near the center of the council throne room.

In a few moments she ascended to her godly form, towering at 100 feet before making short work of siting on her throne and going through all the new information of her domains since the night before. While she did that the others soon appeared as well via their preferred methods of teleportation. Once all were in attendance and assimilated to their domains her king cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Alright, now that we're here, for those of you that didn't know, an Olympian goddess is traveling by footed escort here to speak with the council," he began.

"Which one?" Thalia asked while her gaze zoned out meaning she was trying to scan from the skies and looking for a divine signature.

"Chase," was Percy's curt reply and with it Rhea frowned slightly while Hestia actually growled earning concerned looks from the others.

Percy noticed it though and took a hold of a hand each to his sides from their thrones, effectively calming them. Andy had been informed of the passed night's events in the morning along with Rhea and Hestia, the latter of the goddess's not liking some of the newly revealed knowledge in the slightest. Apparently her interactions with the new blonde goddess hadn't been much more that brief greetings at most. Hestia had not liked the goddess ever since she ascended, mainly due to the pain she caused Percy and then the following years where she became distant from her family.

She's also stated that Annabeth had never named a godfather, which for deities was nothing trivial, especially when considering the well-being and future potential of godlings. Now Hestia was of the mind that the blonde goddess was trying to pull something, possibly even make use of Percy's past feelings. Andy hadn't been too sold on that prospect and planned on checking it more thoroughly later in her office and see if the goddess was hiding ulterior motives while Rhea was not as overtly hostile at the thought of Annabeth but wasn't exactly brimming with warmth at the thought of finally meeting the goddess face to face.

"Annabeth?" Thalia replied, snapping Andy out of her thoughts. "Why is she coming here? Is she surrendering or something?" Andy could see the lingering hope in Thalia's eyes at the thought, knowing the primordial goddess still cared some about the girl-turned-goddess that she took care of all those years ago even if they had become distant during the near decade Percy had been gone.

Percy shook her head at the question before sighing. "It's a little more complicated than that," he muttered as he prepared to explain in more detail as the others looked on curiously. Andy for her part tried to sit back, idly wondering what tomorrow's meeting with the goddess would entail considering that from this morning's reports from Percy's wolves, the goddess wouldn't arrive until early tomorrow…

* * *

 **How was it? I know lately the material has been slow and focused on Athena and Annabeth but I really need to set some things up with them before the war picks up again so work with me here. Hope everyone enjoyed!**


	39. The Calm Before

**Sup ladies and gents! How is everyone, good? Good! Loven the reviews and all that, especially when there is some meat to it so I can reply and answer questions or thoughts. Glad you're all here, really, so here's a biggie for you all! Thank you for the patience, I know since the last few chapters are kind of slow in the action sense but next one is fast paced baby!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own plot.**

* * *

 **With Annabeth**

The goddess took in the sight before her, never having truly expected the city sitting atop the mountain and its intricate design that her inner architect went into a frenzy over. Sure, the walk up the rather wide and winding path leading up the mountain had been tedious but in the end she could manage it, even if the wolves following just some meters away kept her on edge. She knew with them there Percy had constant eyes on her, possibly even directly through the sight of his wolves.

Still she moved along and made sure to keep her distance. With the way her last interaction with Percy went, she was liable to get bitten if she got too close to one of them. It hurt seeing such coldness and anger in his eyes as he looked down at her as if she was a bug in his path. She expected it though, just as she knew hoping he'd accept taking care of Cloelia but it was the only way … and she was running out of time.

So with that in mind she marched forward towards a towering gate, massive doors made of a wood she could not identify blocking her path. She glanced up at her sides, seeing battlements at either side though strangely unmanned. Were it any other place she would call it arrogant, leaving such positions unattended, especially when this was the sole way into the mountain top city she could see. However, the moment she had set foot on the mountain itself she had felt the immense barrier around it, to her senses almost resembling a thick and sturdy dome filled to the brim with varying power signatures.

That very same power that flowed off and around the mountain and clueing her in that the Primordial themselves powered it. At the moment all she could read on it was that it contained anti-flash properties and the ability to detect any entry or exit though she was sure it had far more just waiting to be activated. It was feeling the barrier and seeing the mighty walls surrounding the city at the very top that proved to Annabeth that at least Olympus as it was stood no chance of claiming victory.

With a path and gates like these, any army would be slaughtered trying to get in, the rest of the mountain was too steep and climbing via rope or ladder was plain foolish. She was also sure that some form of air defenses were in place and that was without even counting on the likes of the _winged_ primordial gods themselves coming out, especially Thalia in that particular case. However her musing were cut short as the gates slowly opened soundlessly hinting at the engineering having gone into their construction before her eyes widened at just who was coming to greet her.

There was another of the missing titans, Atlas of all beings himself. Wearing what resembled a tunic in Annabeth's opinion with trousers, large plated belt around the waist, and thick leather boots, all in dark grey or black with dark green fringes. Even with the loose choice in clothing the top was stretched tight over rippling muscle of the towering titan nearly reaching eight feet. Surprisingly he held a spear clearly made of Stygian Iron in hand making Annabeth question how considering only Hades his children or monsters have been seen using it before.

However what was most shocking was the fact that Atlas had a dark green blindfold even though he was facing her exact spot and seemed to be 'looking' her in the face. She stood silent, unsure of what to do exactly considering she was standing before a former enemy which technically still was and judging by the power coming off him, nothing short of her own divine form could match him and even that was an if. There also seemed to be something … more about him, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Chase," Atlas said with a nod, his voice stern but not hostile like it once was when she met him all those years ago in the war.

"Atlas," replied, unsure if she needed to add anything more but then Atlas turned.

"Come," he instructed as he started to walk at an even pace and the doors beginning to close.

Annabeth barely avoided squeaking as she jumped after him and once passed the doors walked at a pace to match his longer strides, idly noticing Percy's wolves had left. Now inside Annabeth could see that the city was divided and being on the outermost layer was surrounded by small fields with a large building a distance away and closer to the second wall. She also noted structures similar to aqueducts doting the fields though some seemed larger and were significantly lower to the ground, a mere story or so in comparison.

"The barracks," Atlas supplied as they walked along a stone path that was a little narrower than the one leading up the mountain. "And the others are either aqueducts or transport rails for harvest and supplies."

"But I don't see any motors to take things into the city," she replied, noting that all the rails tilted down towards the lower level they were currently in.

"No need. Many of the satyrs, spirits, and even gods that work the fields are under the patronage of Rhea and are given a minor earth control. Two satyrs can easily take a several ton haul up the rails by simply pushing and willing the stone carts to move in tandem," Atlas answered before resuming his silence as Annabeth simply took in the scenery.

They continued to walk for several more minutes as the second wall came closer, giving Annabeth a clearer view of many towers and tall buildings within the walls. Although as they walked she couldn't help but get more curious as she kept stealing glances at Atlas, wanting to figure out the new puzzle that he represented. Why was he here, what was that odd power coming from him, how'd he get blind, and she just didn't know if she could or should ask?

"Speak goddess, otherwise you'll burst," Atlas' voice cut in making Annabeth jump slightly in surprise.

Blushing in slight embarrassment and adding another question of how did he know, she took a breath before getting on with it.

"So … why and how are you here?" she asked.

"How is simple, Jackson came to me with an offer of freedom with one condition and even though I didn't know it was him at the time, I agreed. Why I am here like this was due to the mercy of my aunt and then being under the absolute patronage of my lady."

"Lady?" she asked as she glanced at a team of satyrs who paused from tilling some field as they looked at them.

"Lady Styx," Atlas supplied much to Annabeth's surprise. Again, somehow Atlas knew or guessed that she was shocked, even going as far as smirking before answering. "Yes, Lady Styx along with the original Phoebe are also new primordial goddesses. Lady Styx of Hatred, Oaths, and the River Styx while Phoebe controls Inevitability, Compulsion, and Necessity."

"And what does being under her absolute patronage mean exactly?" Annabeth asked, finding that particular detail intriguing since she's never heard of absolute patronage before.

"It means that I am vowed to always serve her to the best of my ability. That my life truly is hers and she may command me as she wishes but," he said hearing Annabeth's gasp. "It must be done willingly and in doing so I am both connected to my lady as well as blessed with much of her power and abilities."

"Such as?"

"My skin is nearly indestructible and I have no vulnerable point is a key blessing, however, no power or ability is absolute without a draw back. In my case it was the sacrifice of my sight and even then, just because my skin is perfect armor does not mean I can't be crush or strangled as so eloquently demonstrated to me in a spar against Jackson after obtaining my abilities," he explained, almost grumbling the last bit before continuing on calmly. "Her waters are a safe haven to me and I am her main Keeper and as such, it is my duty to enforce the punishment of broken oaths. Lastly is my ability to feel the hatred of those around me, to understand it, its source and extent."

He paused as Annabeth took it all in, awed at the strengths and abilities given to Atlas placing leagues above what he once was though Annabeth still wondered how he could 'see' given that he hadn't so much as stumbled around or looked past her any time he faced her. Though she doubted he would elaborate on that considering her role in this war was up in the air at the moment and she was pretty sure there was more to him that what he mentioned, especially considering he hadn't told all that much.

It would only take one successful attack to see he was impervious and she knew they didn't have anyone with enough brute strength to overpower the Titan of Strength and Endurance since the disappearance of Hercules. Still, that answered as to why and how he was here but what confused her now was how he seemed so … okay with it. Last she recalled Atlas had been frothing at the mouth for freedom and to essentially rip apart everything built up since the fall of the titans. And yet here he was, being her guide and escort on her way to see a council with several former demigods that faced him in battle.

"Um Atlas?" she started, getting an acknowledging grunt from the titan. "… Why do you seem so … happy? Satisfied, generally okay with all this? Didn't you hate Percy, the demigods, us?"

Silence pervaded for some time before Atlas gave a mighty sigh as he stopped a few meters from a second set of gates and turned towards her.

"Saying that I am happy with this and at peace are two different things Chase. Sadly, I do not believe happiness is something I could ever deserve … not after what I've done." Raising a hand to stop Annabeth's questions, he continued. "You see, a key difference between myself and so many of other deities currently in opposition to the new protogenoi is one thing; the willingness to change. And that all begins at the moment I made my worst mistake since banishing my daughter. I struck her down."

Atlas stopped as he seeming to look far past her, his shoulders slouching before his voice came far more tired and almost defeated then anything she's ever heard before.

"Calypso was my favorite, much as I deny it and the loss of her left me bitterer after the first war than the defeat itself. Sure, I fought willingly and to my best but wouldn't you also fight against some upstarts instigating rebellion and anarchy with their actions. Our rule wasn't pleasant under Kronos but there was general order only for everything to be thrown in disarray with the legitimate princes and princesses of the throne fighting against their father rather than say, moving away and living their own lives once they escaped their imprisonment. Would Kronos have chased them to the ends of the earth in fear of them ever gaining enough power to truly challenge him? Undoubtedly just as you can't tell me Zeus and his council wouldn't have tried to attack or gain control over the new council under Jackson for the same reasons."

Atlas then shook his head as he continued on. "War would have been inevitable, only this time Jackson was far more prepared and more powerful, keeping the Olympians in the backpedal and corralled, removing certain forces and strategies to try and overwhelm them quickly while minimizing loses on both ends save for the Olympian council themselves," he said before pausing. "Tangents aside, it was the loss of my daughter that truly brought about my hatred for the Olympians, only going on their word that she was even safe though alone rather than turned into some personal whore for them on her island," he spat, the disgust and venom in his voice making Annabeth take a step back.

Atlas then sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Of course it was also my own folly to try and keep my other daughters isolated and protected before the war even began and then more so after I was imprisoned, commanding Ladon to keep an eye on them from all others. It was this restriction that led to Zoe jumping at the chance of escape and living beyond the walls of a garden, even going as far as converting her own divinity into the essence of a powerful weapon in hopes of having Hercules take her and we all know how that went. And yet all I could see was one of my daughters trying to abandon me and so I banished her, uncaring of the fact that she was little more than child with no experience of the ways of the world. In a way it was a blessing that the moon goddess found her, even if it only suited to fill my daughter with hatred in turn."

Atlas then returned to 'looking' at Annabeth.

"Sadly even my regret was overturned to anger and bitterness as I lost another daughter to the Olympians and then the war came. I was so concerned with them and my revenge that I didn't care about trying to reconnect with my daughter." Atlas then paused as he looked at his own trembling hands. "I felt so powerful and free … only to truly realize what I'd done after I was imprisoned again. When I saw her constellation and remembered her as I'd stabbed her, I felt nothing but disgust and self-loathing, almost begging for someone to truly end me … and then my aunt and the other Jackson, Andromeda, gave me a chance." Atlas raised his head as his fists clenched up. "I got to speak with her again, if only briefly and apologize for what I'd done, if only to settle some of that guilt but it will never wash away my full crime. Then Lady Styx offered me the positon in service to her and even offered to take in my daughters as well, safe and sound."

"So does that mean …?"

"No. My lady is their patron but not under permanent service like myself. I wished for them to have a choice for their futures and my lady accepted it which I am forever thankful for. They are now oath keepers as well, working in tandem around the mountain and living peacefully which is all I can ask for," he said with a heavy sigh at the end. "The loss of my eyes was a willing sacrifice on my part, meant to suite as a blessing and curse."

Annabeth tilted her head to the side in confusion at that, unsure of what he meant by blessing and curse. Luckily, he elaborated.

"I never have to see my own face, one that still brings me shame, ever again but … I can never see the smiling faces of my daughters, witness the day they dress in white and walk to their significant other, or lay eyes on those that I could call grandchildren … for I do not deserve such honors," he finished, leaving a shocked and silent goddess as she stared at him. "That goddess, is why I am at peace and even grateful for my current position in life."

Without another word he continued walking, leaving Annabeth several paces behind and she shook herself from her stupor to follow along. The pair walked in renewed silence then as they passed a second set of gates, these manned by minor gods from what she could tell and judging by the sour looks, they knew who and what she was too. The doors opened soundlessly allowing both deities to pass uninterrupted and into the city proper from what Annabeth could see. Her breath hitched slightly as she marveled at the beautiful structures carved of marble and obsidian, using fusions of Greco-Roman and Anglo-Saxon designs for the homes, elevated walkways above the lower merchant streets leading to private homes.

She watched in awe as gods and mortals of all kinds got about their day, simply living as if the war wasn't happening right now. She walked as if in a trance, trying to take in every detail around her as she followed Atlas. She was surprised to see him receiving nods and small head bows, or greetings as even some kids ran past, shouting greetings to 'Mr. Atlas' with all smiles to which he returned as he moved on.

"They respect you here," she murmured as she looked around, surprised that she received some greetings as well but she noted that they were mortals while the other gods tended to stay back.

Atlas grunted before replying. "It is appreciated. They know I am an oath keeper and protector of this city, one of many in fact. After all, neither the mountain itself nor even the city matter but its residents. They are the life of it and we are sworn to protect them. You see Chase, this is a home, a safe haven where all walks of life mingle in peace. Parents rest at ease even as their children play beyond their line of sight or even after dark, where one does not have to look over their shoulder on their walk home after a long day. I doubt any city around this world could boast the same and mean it."

"How?" was all Annabeth could ask.

"Oath of Citizenship," he replied easily. "All follow it as iron clad rules that render all equal within the city, be they mortal or god. No violence, regardless of what may be the reason behind it save for in sanction spars and duels within the arena to name one. Also, you do feel that barrier correct?"

At Annabeth's nod he continued.

"Once upon a time barriers were created with an idea and will of a god or being capable of using magic before being implemented. Runes later came into play to stabilize and prolong the effects, maybe to separate the need for constant and direct intervention from the castor. Yet nowadays humans program computers and codes thousands of times more complex and intricate then the most extensive rune scape. What covers this city is a barrier coded and composed of a completely new runic language, built and layered under the direction of Styx and initially powered by the entire council."

At her awed expression he continued, "Self-updating, capable of reporting any change to Styx with a full sentient awareness comparable to the most advanced A.I.s, able to detect malignant intention and isolating possible risks to the city or its' populace. You could say that the central control rune or processor is blessed by several of the protogenoi, Nico's domain of Judgement to be fully unbiased in regards to law, Andromeda's domain of Desire and so finding even the most hidden goals, and Jackson's domain of Darkness, something that goes beyond the physical manifestation but to see the malice we all are capable of harboring within our hearts. You see Chase, this is the potential and ability when divine beings use joint efforts, they create things beyond the wildest expectations."

Having finished Atlas continued to walk as Annabeth followed, her own thoughts racing through the ability and implementation of such a system. The complexity and time taken to create it alone must have been staggering. However that left her with another question.

"But what about the people? Can they truly being happy knowing that they're under constant watch?"

"No society or community can form and last without a joint agreement in rules and concession of certain liberties and freedoms Chase, otherwise it is anarchy with sentient beings degrading to their most primal urges and self-importance over the rest. There isn't anyone living here that wasn't made aware of the rules beforehand and those that didn't due to the rules, being exclusively some gods as of yet, were wiped of the memories and left to their own devices wherever they came from," Atlas replied without looking back.

"Memories wiped?"

"Gods are petty and selfish beings Chase. Do you really trust some slighted god to keep quiet over the existence and location of a city when they could simply rat it out just to spite those that dared defy them?" Annabeth's silence spoke volumes. "I thought as much, though having memories wiped is unnecessary now that the city is revealed and if someone that is invited to live here does not swear, then they are kindly but firmly escorted out, simple as that."

"And if the council turns to abusing such power?" Annabeth asked skeptically, knowing the saying about absolute power and all that.

"The council has its own extra oath sworn on the name of Lady Chaos meant specifically to counter such degradation. She is their true and final check in power, along with their own rules to prevent any one member gaining advantage over the others. After all, would you be willing to break an oath on Her name?" he asked.

Annabeth paled at the thought, actually feeling as if daring to go against such an oath would lead to having her very essence painfully torn from her. She was sure Fading would be the least of her worries if she did such a thing and knew even as powerful as Percy was, he did not so much as hold a candle to Chaos. Shaking her head of the thoughts, they walked on in silence as they ascended through the city, stores decreasing in number and more homes being apparent.

At one point that crossed a large building that reminded Annabeth slightly of a Church though without any obvious crosses or other such signs but only in design. Outside in a rather large yard with a few trees were dozens of children milling around playing with several nymphs, wolves, and some mortals playing with them. She even spotted some minor goddesses amongst them much to her shock before noticing a small sign near the path leading to the building that red "Leto's Orphanage".

Still Atlas didn't stop so she didn't get a chance to pause and ask about it before they passed a third and apparently final set of gates leading them into the third portion of the city. She looked around to see all manner of small temples scattered around with some gods and satyrs or wind spirits milling about carrying documents, small supplies, and expressos. She was also surprised that most if not all gods she saw looked to be dressed for business or at least a blend of casual-formal wear.

Again Atlas remained silent as they walked to the largest temple by far with a roof several stories tall and doubled doors larger than those of Olympus that were open for all to see. Some gods were buzzing in and out with their duties with there even being a nymph at a reception desk that waved at them as they entered, though her eyes watched Annabeth intently. She followed silently until they stopped in front of a massive hallway, the only thing visible at the end being a large hearth filled with golden fire with some flecks of reds and whites.

"They are waiting," Atlas said suddenly, making her jump at bit at the abrupt end to the silence.

Looking at her guide she steadily nodded before slowly walking forward, now really becoming aware of the pressure at the end that steadily built as she got closer. Annabeth felt her confidence waning as she moved, the pressure mounting as even her breathing got heavier until she finally arrived at the end and almost stumbled at the sight.

Eight Primordial Gods looked at her as one, each easily measuring close to a hundred feet in size while standing before their thrones, their eyes glowing with their respective power as the very air around them shimmered and distorted under their presence. Then, with some silent signal all sat as the fire in the hearth fizzled out to reveal a small seat and desk, even a damned cup of water and jug on it fit to her mortal size.

She very audibly gulped as she got the order and message. Sit there and if she said one thing wrong or pissed someone off, that fire was coming back with her in the center of it.

Taking a deep breathe to stop the shaking of her legs, she walked steadily, wearily glancing around at the strongest deities around her and recognizing each with more or less an idea of what each controlled and represented. Once at the chair she sat with her hands on her lap, feeling like some school girl called before the school board. Granted detention and expulsion were the least of her worries.

Tense silence filled the atmosphere for several minutes making the minor goddess squirm in her seat, not daring to look directly in front of her for several reasons. First being that Percy, Rhea, and Hestia all sat before her. She wasn't ignorant of the meaning behind all three having such an arrangement and had quickly spotted Rhea's matching ring to Percy's and Hestia's letting her know that Rhea was also married to Percy, and therefore queen as well. She could literally feel the hostility pouring off Hestia and she was pretty sure it was why the seat felt uncomfortably hot whereas Rhea wasn't as overtly hostile but there wasn't an exactly warm and inviting presence around her either.

Percy again had that near unreadable look to him, seemingly indifferent to her aside from the narrowed eyes. However it was what was at their feet that really made her nervous. Sitting at Percy's feet was a very familiar, T-rex sized wolf with silvery-yellow eyes staring right at her. Bedside Lupa was another familiar monster of equal size, the Namean Lion lying next to Rhea's feet. Lastly and most worrying in her opinion was the fact that Ladon was sitting behind Hestia's throne with several of his heads around it, the largest reared up and over the throne itself, all large orange eyes watching her every move.

Just feeling the power of those three alone told Annabeth that she stood no chance if hostilities erupted and judging by the looks, all three were itching to pounce but were kept at bay. The silence persisted for some time and she actually gave in, taking a quick sip of the water provided before hastily putting it back down and resuming to sit still.

The silence was finally ended as Percy sighed before speaking in a baritone, his voice laced with authority.

"We are gathered here at the request of Annabeth Chase, minor Olympian goddess of Architecture and Guerilla War Tactics."

Annabeth resist the urge to flinch at the mention of her second domain, one that had less than pleasing symbolism, even being the key note in relation to the formation of her own symbol of power and its ability. Still, she kept quiet as Percy began her hearing, of what exactly she wasn't entirely sure.

"So goddess," he continued, his eyes of black fire and icy pupils pinning her to her seat. "What did you want?"

Shifting slightly as she looked up to meet his gaze, she spoke clearly and evenly, "I came to make a request to have my siblings and other demigods spared."

"We already made the offer," Rhea spoke up as she looked down at Annabeth, a finger lazily tapping her arm rest. "They can choose to turn back and withdraw. However, if they make the choice to face us on the battlefield, to attack our city, then that is that. They've made their beds and now they will lie in them."

"But the Olympians would never allow it," Annabeth retorted, keeping her demeanor respectful and voice even. "Half the demigods are marching under duress and don't even want to be near the war but turning back _is_ to betray and the remaining Olympians would sooner cut them down themselves," she argued, watching as some of the protogenoi glanced amongst themselves with some murmuring.

It seemed that this very subject had been debated before and seeing the wavering opinions, she pushed forward.

"Please," she said, getting them to simmer down and return their attention to her. "This isn't war, it's _slaughter_ and we have even fighters as young as 12 that just aren't even remotely ready for this."

"Plenty marched at the age of 12 during Kronos and Gaea making their bids," Jason spoke up as he looked at the minor goddess, his back straight and rigid, nothing but a professional air around him. "Not that I agree with them being brought to battle either but they are demigods, their resilient and adaptive."

"Not for this," she countered. "This isn't some bumbling horde of monsters thrown together by one or two competent commanders with general mayhem as a goal. They are facing _you_ ," she said pointedly as she looked at each and every former demigod and legends in their own rights. "You aren't some singled out titan or Giant with a known weakness and a past history of failure at your backs. No, each of you is a hero/heroine that have bested ridiculous odds and faced the impossible only to come out on top. Primordial, and I presume, each more powerful than Gaea had been but unlike her, you are all tried and true warriors. I've already seen what you can do and I would bet my left foot that it was only the surface and that the only reason you haven't simply won yet is because you don't want wholesale slaughter."

With her words she didn't see any of them protesting against it, acknowledging that she right in regards to just how powerful they were. Even the Olympians being dangerous in their own rights, had dulled over the millennia after the defeat of the Giants with nothing else to truly challenge them and no apparent reason to try and get better. While before her were several beings who already had talent unlike most others and then trained and worked that talent to the very bone, making them go from being dangerous to outright lethal.

Even looking at the four new primordial goddess that weren't of note for being warriors held an air about them that tipped Annabeth off. Rhea's subtly flowing power was the only one truly close to matching Percy's and she held the poise of a seasoned warrior as well and Hestia's feral eyes alone were enough for the goddess to know that Hestia was just as easily to be feared on a battleground. Still, shaking herself of those thoughts she pressed on.

"Please, their desperate, _I'm_ desperate. We don't want to have to fight but unlike me they can't just run away or flash here. They can't travel without rest or food while fighting anything that might get in their way and avoid the enemies at their back at the same time. Staying with the army is their only option at the moment," she said, her tone pleading as she looked at the council around her.

She then noticed Thalia frowning and looked at her as the winged goddess sighed before speaking.

"It just isn't that simple Annabeth," she said, making Annabeth internally smile in relief to see that even if having grown apart, Thalia was still somewhat caring of her by using her given name rather than the cold utterings of 'Chase' or 'goddess'. "You know that as much as some demigods want out, others want to fight for their own reasons. Loyalty more so on the Roman side, perhaps for revenge due to killing Ares or harming their idols, or even some just wanting to make names for themselves. If demigods started suddenly disappearing, which would take some time, especially if the Olympians and other gods react and form so sort of barrier to prevent or at least slow us down. That could lead to suspicion amongst each other and possibly turn into outright attacks against each other. Next thing you know, an army is killing itself with nothing but demigod casualties, defeating the purpose of this very meeting."

Annabeth sighed as she nodded, knowing that Thalia was right in that regard. There were already some glares and suspicious looks being sent between small parties, some of the more vocal of their loyalty harassing those that appeared hesitant for the cause.

"But … what if they surrender on the battlefields?" she asked with hope in her voice watching as some of the council members have her a raised eyebrow. "If I return and try to speak with the demigods not wanting to fight, and convince them to drop their weapons as a sign of surrender during battles, could you spare them and get them out of there?"

That got some more eager debate out of the council and Annabeth watched with baited breath as they spoke on the possibility and how they could go about it. Apparently, and much to Annabeth's silent horror, there was something else far more dangerous than the Olympians that the new protogenoi were staying on guard for. They knew something would happen once the Olympians attacked, there was simply too much opportunity not to, but the question was of what and when? It got Annabeth thinking about the brief words of the group of cyclops that attacked her and mentioning of a new master while Poseidon trained.

Whatever could possibly put the strongest beings on the planet on edge was definitely something to watch and guard against, not to mention that Poseidon, one of if not the strongest fighter of the Olympians was with this other force, then things would only get worse.

Her thoughts were broken though as Rhea cleared her throat for silence, making the minor goddess to look up at the stronger being as she started to speak. "It seems that your suggestion could have some merit, however, picking out these demigods and transporting them away while we fight won't be easy. There is also the danger of them being caught in crossfire, and if others notice their actions, being cut down by their own before they can be taken. So, no promises but we will try to be more cautious should the fighting break out but," she raised her hand to stop Annabeth from cheering at her apparent success. "Try to get them separated to some degree that way it will be easier to move them away because if they are mixed into our opposing forces, they might not get spared."

Nodding firmly Annabeth thanked them profusely and Percy waved his hand, ending the meeting. Most of the new protogenoi teleported away via their own elemental means while some remained seated. In this instant being Percy, Rhea, Hestia, and if she recalled correctly, Andromeda. Suddenly Annabeth felt as if the pressure had increased significantly as the second, more personal reason for her visit was brought into question again. However, seeing Hestia's literally flaming, crimson eyes nailed to her didn't help the goddess calm in the slightest.

"So Chase," Rhea started while crossing her arms under her bust and narrowing her eyes at the goddess. "Care to explain about what happened during your earlier meeting with my husband?"

Her tone alone made Annabeth want to duck down, knowing that Rhea was not pleased in the slightest with Annabeth's revelations on the matter of her daughter and the role casted onto Percy in relation to it. Still, she had her reasons and didn't regret … at least she hoped she wouldn't.

"Y-yes," she managed to replied, silently cursing her own stutter. "I named him Cloelia's godfather in secret."

"Why?" Hestia asked with a noticeable growl, speaking for the first time as literal steam drifted off her hair. "After everything that happened, why could you possibly even consider him for the role?"

"It was the only way …" Annabeth tried to protest but Hestia cut her off.

"Like hell it is!" The draconic goddess snapped back with small licks of flame escaping her clearly fanged jaws thoroughly scaring the goddess. "The only way? You didn't even name a godfather when asked all those years ago and suddenly you pull this? What, trying to get something over him to make use for you like that Tartarus episode?"

"I didn't …"

" _As long as we're together_ , sound familiar?" Hestia asked making Annabeth visibly flinch. "As far as you knew, it was practically a guaranteed death and you dragged him with you, knowing that you didn't even deserve his love and then, the moment you got the opening, you took it and ran."

Annabeth turned her head away as she took the goddess' words, knowing she couldn't refute them. Yes, Aphrodite had been the one to mess with her emotions, but in the end it was her choice to lie about, to hide and then take godhood the moment it was offered. She simply couldn't bear the thought of telling him or the shame that would come with it at the time, her own hubris simply wouldn't allow it. Not when she'd gotten the recognition of her mother, was respected, and was even offered something demigods dream about.

It looked like Hestia was going to continue tearing into Annabeth but was silenced as Percy reached across and took her head, surprising her as she looked at him. Annabeth would have denied it but she felt a pang of pain in her chest seeing the look he was giving Hestia, so warm and kind like he once used to with herself. It seemed it had a similar affect as Hestia visibly calmed with the area around her cooling before all four returned their attention to her.

"Just … tell us why, Chase?" Percy asked with a sigh as he looked at her.

Taking a deep breath she nodded before answering, knowing that they probably wouldn't like it any better.

"Because of a prophecy …"

As the sentence left her mouth the room grew tense again as the four primal beings looked at her with visible surprise. Then, after some odd silence Andromeda broke it.

"What?"

Only being able to nod, Annabeth waited to see how they would take it before she went further. Percy just snorted and then rubbed the bridge of his nose while Rhea bit her lower lip, Hestia looked narrowly at her own lap while tapping her fingers and Andromeda looked at Annabeth. After some time Percy sighed again before directing only one opened eye at the smaller goddess.

"What is it? When did you get it in fact?"

"It was the night after Cloelia's birth," she replied, remembering that happy night as she rested with her newborn in arms, her mother having been the last to leave after making sure Apollo didn't bother the new mother and child. "Rachel visited at some really late hours," she continued, remembering how Rachel could be very random at times and surprise visits to Olympus weren't actually uncommon in those days. "She sort of stumbled into my room, not sure how without tipping anyone off. Actually she looked almost drunk or something and then her eyes were sometimes flashing green, other times just looked glazed over and then she started a prophecy but it was strange," she explained as she frowned slightly in the memory of that odd night. "It was almost like she was cut off from delivering the whole thing and next thing I know, she ran out. I ran into her a few days later but she didn't remember anything."

Annabeth then fell silent as the primordial beings took in what she said, sharing glances with each other until Hestia spoke up.

"Looks like we'll have to talk to Phoebe about this. Only she can see the records of past prophecies as well as those that are possible."

"But will she find it?" Rhea cut in drawing attention to herself. "The year that Chase's daughter was born was shortly after many gods and mortals joined us, including Phoebe herself. We already know that the actions of a primordial could have completely unforeseen consequences of a previously stated prophecy, and if Chase is right, this one was incomplete. Who's to say that it wasn't something that slipped through the cracks when the Fates were trying to decipher everything that was happening?"

The others nodded in agreement to her words before attention was turned on Annabeth again as Hestia spoke up, "So, this prophecy?"

Annabeth sighed as she nodded before reciting the fragments as they were told.

" _Fate distorted and souls separated … Daughter of ill-fated union … War of wars to rage … To live as harbinger of peace … To die and leave destruction … Cursed blade and legendary hero … Forsaken love, the strongest protector … Goddess to reclaim herself …"_

Annabeth stopped as she recited the last bit that Rachel said as she took in the looks of the winged gods before her, their earlier surprise turning into grime contemplation. Even if incomplete, several lines were already telling and Annabeth knew without a doubt it involved both Percy and her daughter. His sword Riptide, cursed and impaled with the abandoned city of Olympus, left there by the legendary hero, her forsaken love. It hadn't taken her long to discern that and with the mention of her daughter's life being possibly on the line, it hadn't taken her much to decide on who to name godfather, a choice that she had still been pondering for days.

Sure, to the gods she had simply said to stay with only a godmother, not trusting any of the gods with her child and considering the mentioned war, didn't name any of her siblings as the godfather simply because she doubted they would be enough. Hades had said it repeatedly during the years when asked if Percy was alive and his answer had always be yes, so taking the shot, she named him as such in secret, having faith that he would be there when needed. It seemed that after some minutes of silence the winged beings looked back at her, possibly having come to similar conclusions as her.

"We … see," Rhea said with a tired sigh before her gaze fell on her husband and king.

"That certainly brings things into perspective," Percy said in an unreadable tone as his narrowed eyes fell on her. "But it seems that we'll have to think on this a bit more. It is rather sudden, after all." With that he and the winged goddesses stood, some shooting her curious glances. "For now, we'll let you stay as a guest. Atlas will see you about accommodations for the night but until then, I think the gardens behind the temple might interest you."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, all four disappeared in burst of shadows, their presence vanishing just as quickly making Annabeth sigh as slowly got up and out of the desk. Mind you, she was still very aware of the three beasts, or more accurately, two beasts and fellow goddess watching her from their spots at the bases of each thrown. She wasn't tempted to find out if being in their continued presence was a risk to her health so she made a hasty retreat out of the throne room.

Once out and after waving down a passing nymph to ask for directions she soon arrived to the aforementioned gardens. They were beautiful, she had to admit, with all manner of wild flowers and shaded trees, small stone courtyards and paths marked throughout. She tried to let herself relax as she slowly walked one path, enjoying the soft breezes as she spotted some nymphs here and there tending to it. However, soon she arrived at what was likely the center and a quick look around confirmed that it sat a distance behind the throne room itself.

Taking it in, she let a small gasp escape her as she saw a beautiful oak of pure white with actual golden leaves measuring several stories up, planted on an obsidian black soil island and surrounded by clear waters with a small path leading to it. The veins of color running up and down the trunk, along with the sheer presence coming off the tree let Annabeth know it was significant but for what exactly, she wasn't sure. However her musing were cut short as she heard some small barking off to the side and looked only to let her mouth drop in shock.

There, just off the path and under the shade of some trees were Athena and if she recognized him right, Triton, sitting on a bench. Sure, it was surprising suddenly seeing her mother but what surprised her more was that she was actually leaning her head against Triton's shoulder as the god in question lightly rubbed her shoulder and she could make out the slightest tear marks along her mother's face. Then, looking at their feet Annabeth spotted the source of barking being a little grey wolf pup that was pawing at Athena's feet.

Before she could stare for longer or even find her voice however Triton noticed her, his eyes widening for a moment before he murmured something to her mother. Athena's head shot up as her eyes immediately found Annabeth before gasping as she abruptly stood before glancing nervously to Triton as the god stood as well. Annabeth watched, transfixed as Triton murmured something else to Athena with a gentle smile before he went as far as kissing her on the forehead and then walking off down a different path, all the while Athena remained rooted to the spot.

Annabeth for her part couldn't help but frown in confusion at seeing her mother. Sure, Percy had told her that her mother was safe but she'll still had some doubts. However, that didn't mean she was expecting to see the kidnapped goddess simply resting in a garden and speaking to a god Annabeth hadn't seen hang around her before and it was someone related to Poseidon that made it that much more surprising. Still, she walked forward and was noticed by her divine mother but Athena simply remained still, going as far as tugging at the ends rope around her waist as she glanced at Annabeth, the wolf puppy at her feet looking on as well.

"Mother?" Annabeth gently called as she got almost within arms distance, finally getting Athena to look her in the eyes.

"Annabeth," her mother replied as she looked her over, frowning at some of the dirt and grim left from her travels.

Unsure of what to do left both in a bit of an odd silence, with the goddesses being close over the years but there was still this slight air of distance that Athena had as long as Annabeth could remember. In fact the only time Annabeth could truly recall Athena dropping such a wall was with Cloelia … and at the brief moment she saw, Triton.

"I'm glad to see you," her mother's voice broke her from her thoughts before her eyes widened as she looked properly, seeing how Athena's arms were almost open to her but the goddess looked unsure of just how to go about hugging her.

Not really even thinking about it Annabeth stepped closer and embraced her mother, feeling the goddess stiffen for a moment before the embrace was returned. It was almost timid at first but then the strength came in as Athena pulled her closer, head's resting on the other's shoulder in this novel experience. It was the first time Annabeth could ever say she'd gotten hugged by her mother and it felt … nice. The close warmth of the touch while carrying a sense of safety and reassurance, something that Annabeth was sure Athena was feeling herself.

"I'm here mom," she said softly as her face nuzzled into Athena's shoulder, feeling the other goddess tighten the hold as she nodded into it.

The hug lasted for several minutes as neither goddess was really in a hurry to let go but eventually they did when there was whining at Athena's feet. As Annabeth pulled back she watched as Athena quickly scooped up the puppy in her arms and held it at her chest as she petted her softly.

"So …" Annabeth started up after a minute of watching her mom coo over a puppy. "Who's this?" she asked as she gently petted the pup as well.

"Anesi," Athena replied as the pup playfully nipped at her fingers. "She was given to me by Lady Andromeda."

' _Lady?'_ Annabeth mentally asked but didn't voice it, instead asking another nagging thought.

"So … um, why were you so close with Triton?"

At that the question Athena paused in her petting as she turned her attention to Annabeth, her features softening with tones of regret in her eyes much to Annabeth's surprise.

"Let's just say … you weren't the only one that ran from their shame," Athena answered softly and then continued before she could ask further. "And a lot has happened since I was taken making it a long story."

Annabeth looked at her mother curiously for a moment, still trying to settle how she felt about this changed demeanor of her mother. That wall was gone and she seemed oddly vulnerable in a way but also more open and softer. Still, seeing as she was supposed to stay for the night anyways, she figured she could spend it with her mother.

"I've got time…"

* * *

 **With Hestia**

She sighed softly as she watched her finger, lazily trailing over the lightly tanned skin and coiled muscle of her husband's chest. She relished in the intimacy and warmth shared between them as she rested on him, not a shred of clothes or space to separate them. She could also feel his hand running along the back of her head, idly playing with her hair as he hummed softly making her that much more relaxed. It really did wonders after the tension of yesterday's meeting but her husband, wife, and consort had been all too eager to make it up to her.

Of all the council, she'd been the only one that didn't even want to give that minor goddess so much as a glance, even less so allow her into the city. Some may have called her petty, insensitive considering the reason for the goddess coming all the way to their city, and even intentionally malicious. She knew and recognized it but for the life of her, she couldn't react in any other way. That goddess was one of the few beings Hestia had truly hated for a time and even now still resents.

And all of it because of the end of the war.

Most regular mortals and ignorant gods would say considering love a great power something as idealistic and naïve but she knew otherwise. For demigods that lived fearing the next day, unsure if today's friends would be an enemy next, especially when dealing with temperamental gods. Her husband had loved, and trusted. It was his driving force to keep him moving forward, to bear the pain and torment of war left on his shoulders under a prophecy. To keep his own alive, to strive for peace, to simply survive … and that first love crushed him, turned into betrayal and lies.

Annabeth Chase had been his first true love and Hestia knew, just as well as Rhea, Andromeda, and their harem that no matter what happened, a piece of his heart would always stay hers. It was why even now he couldn't cut her down even if he wanted to. Because knowing she had been a victim as well had left a fragment of hope, the irony of which wasn't lost on the Primordial Goddess of Hope, that there could have been more to it. Even if he accepted that she would never be part of his life again and he wouldn't be in hers, that past and its scars would never leave him.

And it was knowing that which got Hestia so reactive. She already suffered the cold pain that is isolation, to sting of being forgotten and left without voice. To watch as her desperate pleas were ignored, as her family twisted and contorted into something she could no longer recognize as family. And then her husband came, the first to truly see her, to bother and hear her even if she had been pushed to the sidelines in the fires of war.

Then that war ended and the demigod that had become a close friend over the year before Hera hid him came to her and only with her, allowed himself to break. She watched as the strongest demigod shattered after being too strong for too long, all the pains and regrets during the wars and those lost under his command or leadership, of his time in Tartarus and all he saw. She held him as he lost one of his greatest reasons for even pushing on.

Listened as he spoke about his dreams that would never come, of growing old together in the possibilities of New Rome. He had his mother at the time but she, just like Paul and Andromeda at the time had been mortals and would always need to be kept at some distance just for their safety. His father, like the other gods, would stay away from their children as was expected and by law. At that point it would even been possible to convince him to take godhood then and there. In fact, Hestia had already been considering it because she wanted him to stay with her but then that meeting happened.

In their self-centered pride and ego, they murdered his family thinking it was necessary to separate him from his mortal connections but nothing could have been more wrong. They took what was already a broken demigod and gave him a focus. Something to hate, to see as the cause of so much suffering. They took their hero and created their executioner, one devoid of any ties to them. And he had carried through with it so far, even while trying to spare demigods where he could and keep the battles away from mortal homes.

But now that same goddess came back, begging and pleading the case with the use of a completely innocent child. Something new that would tie him to her in some shape or form and Hestia simply couldn't trust it. It didn't matter for the reasoning behind it or who the child was, she knew her husband was still a hero at the core and would not abandon a child, regardless of the linage. Even if he'd been just as upset to be named the godfather and gave a front, Hestia knew her husband and that he'd already been monitoring Cloelia's shadow since Chase told him, completely bypassing the protections of Ogygia within the hour.

And even if Hestia would not hold anything against the godling, Chase was another case all together. She didn't trust her and within the deepest recesses of her own heart, she had her own darkness. A spot of doubt, of familiar fears that whispered how Chase could use her own daughter to return to Percy's side. It didn't matter how irrational, how much Hestia knew Percy would never forget or abandon her, it was a vicious scar of her own past that would never fade. And Percy knew it, just as he knew of his own doubts or Rhea's, but together they reassured each other, just like last night.

Last night's activities had been all about her and after everyone was refreshingly spent, Rhea surprised her by leaving her alone with Percy, dragging a sleepy Andromeda with her to the love goddess' room. She'd appreciated it and after another round, the pair fell into sweet unconsciousness together. Even once they woke up it had been for another round of sweet love-making, leaving them where they were now with her resting on him.

"Honey…"

"Hmm?" she hummed as she turned her head up to look into those flaming black and icy blue eyes.

"So … are you okay with it?"

He didn't need to say what, she'd already known it had been on his mind since the meeting yesterday. She sighed softly as she nuzzled against his chest, peppering it with kisses before looking at him and nodding. He smiled in return before sitting up and kissing her properly and then getting up. She was a little annoyed at losing her body pillow but followed after, both dressing with a thought. Her in a scarlet chiton and black sash around her waist, and sandals while he went with dark grey jeans, blue shirt, and his ever present Coat of Darkness into a design much like a leather jacket, finished with simply drakon hide leather boots.

With both ready they flashed away as a notice to their approach, arriving just at the gates leading out of the city limits and to the path down the mountain. Upon arrival they saw that they weren't the only ones with most of the council save Phoebe and Styx being present along with Atlas as the proper guard and Athena, pup in hand, saying their goodbyes. Eyes turned on them as Hestia schooled her features the moment she saw Chase and walked to Rhea and Andromeda's side as Percy approached the minor goddess.

"Chase," he said evenly with a nod at the shorter goddess. Without really waiting for a reply he held his hand up in a moment the shadows condensed around it.

Within seconds they dispersed to reveal an icy blue bracelet with a very small wolf charm attached to it. He offered it to the goddess expectantly and after gawking a bit she gingerly took it.

"Does this mean …?" Chase trailed off as Percy lightly shook his head.

"I don't know if I could accept such a role," he said, seeing the goddess' crestfallen face and even the way Athena looked at him almost pleadingly from the side. "… However, that won't mean I can't keep an eye out just in case. Just make sure she wears that because once it's on, only she can take it off."

"Thank you," Chase said warmly as she held the charmed bracelet to her chest and smiled radiantly at Percy making Hestia bite back a growl.

Percy looked at her with narrow eyes for a moment, seeming unsure about how to really respond to such a genuine thanks from the goddess. "You're welcome," Percy murmured softly as he turned around and walked back to Hestia's side before Hestia and Rhea each stood to one of his sides with a hand held in theirs.

With that finished Chase gave a hug to her mother and some bows to the council members as they nodded in response and then Chase turned to walk down the path.

"Be safe … Annie," Thalia said softly making the goddess pause to glance back and nod before she took off in a jog, the protogenoi watching her move.

They knew they were actually close to the metaphysical border of the 'Land of the Gods', only several miles in fact so Chase would only need to run for less than an hour before she was far enough to safely flash away and not run the risk of running out of energy. Though as she left a silence filled the air as some of the protogenoi looked up at the sky as a breeze passed over them.

It was only a matter of time before this peace and quiet came to an end, and the war truly began…

* * *

 **Oh, baby. Now we are getting somewhere! I know a few were iffy about Percy forgiving Annabeth but at this point, she is honestly of little interest or relevance to him. Sure now the prophecy has some of his attention, but that plays a part later. War and so much is on the horizon so buckle up!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	40. The Storm!

**Nice and big chapter for all of you! Loving the reviews and ideas or thoughts. Shits about to get real baby and more is ah'coming!**

 **ps. sorry for the late update but damn, I got three jobs and work seven days a week so finding the time for writing is tricky (bank account is getting phat though so ... worth it!) Anyways, please enjoy.**

 **Updates Ideally are every two weeks, usually on Sunday or Thursday.**

 **Disclaimer; Only plot is mine.**

* * *

 **Two Days Later**

Her eyes narrowed as they set upon her targets, irrelevant of the miles separating them. Her bow softly crackled in her hand, as if eager to begin. Her eyes shifted off the silhouettes of the four ships as they landed and drifted from the skies above, watching as dusk approached overhead. The clouds started to gathered and darken to cast further shadows, reflecting her will as the briefest of battle jitters entered her veins. Tonight was the beginning.

"How you holding up Thals?" a slightly deep and smooth voice asked to her side.

She glanced there, meeting the flaming black eyes of her king, his stance looking relaxed with arms crossed even if she could tell he was wound up and ready to burst into action. He stood next to her as she crouched on the battlements along the sides of the Prime Gate, the first entrance into Mount. Cartier's city, their home.

"I'm fine," she sighed as she returned her gaze to their enemies.

She watched as more than a thousand demigods, legacies, and Amazons joined by battalions of satyrs still loyal of the likes of Mr. D and Artemis, along with even the Party Ponies having arrived by land close to the same time. And dozens minor gods, many of which she couldn't even name or recognize, hovered above in their war chariots with the Olympians left being apparent. Even from here she could make out faces, hear the veritable roar of mixed voices, commands, and marching carried through the winds. They were unaware, even if they could see the sole mountain amongst the forests and plains around them.

All bunched up together, in one location. Just one of her stronger bolts, perhaps shot from their house above the very atmosphere. With more power than a nuclear bomb, it would guarantee to vaporize that army with only the stronger of the minor gods and Olympians surviving such an attack. Such simple slaughter with the overwhelming power at her finger tips. It was at times like these that her hands shook as she realized how lucky they had been that Gaea had been silently fighting against her own siblings, keeping Tartarus and Nyx restrained to the Pit and forcing her consciousness into slumber to recover.

If it hadn't been for such a silent Cold War, Gaea would have crushed Olympus, the demigods, and civilization as a whole. And now each and every member of the council could do the same … and so could Pontus. Thalia knew he was out there with Thalassa, watching, waiting for the moment to strike out at them and those they cared for. He held no qualms about stepping on the mortals and demigods in his pursuit of revenge, to see his mother's goal of conquest completed. And worst of all, they couldn't even attack him on his own turf, not with entire kingdoms and ancient monsters at his back, and now the likes of Oceanus and Poseidon with him as well.

She shook her head though, banishing those thoughts and focusing on the now. Now she needed to prepare because her role was vital in dividing the Olympian forces, to keep them pressured and unable to react before Rhea and Percy did their parts. Glancing again at her king and friend beside her, she noted that his eyes were intently focused as well, the growing shadows around him stirring in excitement.

"How's everyone else?" she asked while still looking at the setting camp of the Olympian forces.

"Ready," Percy said shortly before he sighed and turned away, his right hand lightly resting on the blade sheathed to the right hip, _Sin_ , his Viking short sword.

"Are … are you going through with it?" she asked, wondering if it was finally time for that battle.

Percy only nodded, the grip on the hilt of _Sin_ tightening as well.

"I see …" Thalia said softly as she looked up, smiling sadly at the cold, full moon slowly appearing above them.

Neither said anymore as Percy walked away, the shadows responding to his presence as he disappeared into the embrace of darkness, no doubt to prepare for his part.

"For what's it's worth," Thalia said as she looked back to the army too far away to hear or even see her. "I'm sorry for what you're about to face…"

* * *

 **With Allen**

The demigod sighed as he set down another crate of supplies into one of the storage tents, having completed his tenth trip as such. They'd landed several hours ago in a rather large clearing of the forest spanning around them for miles and miles. Allen wasn't a stranger to nature, his father being a bit of an outdoors enthusiast, not to mention being a resident of Oregon but even then, the sheer sight from the Argos had been almost mystic in nature. As they flew Allen could just tell that the forest beneath them was different, full of a life and vitality that would fit better in some lost, untouched world.

Hell, only a few hours after landing, the Hunt and many other tracking groups formed of either Hermes or Apollo's Vanguards had caught game to supplement the food of the army. And not just any old deer and other local wildlife but animals significantly bigger, healthier, and if the hunting parties were to be believed, tougher. After all, a deer needing more than two arrows shot from bows meant to fire against monsters was no simple matter. Even now Allen would glance at the trees at the edges of the camp and feel as if the forest itself was watching them and a sense of danger flowed with the very breeze.

Even the night had been oddly quiet and subdued with only ominous, dark clouds overhead. No lightning, no crackle of thunder, not even a hint of rain. They were just there, heavy and tense above the camp with a forest so quiet that not even crickets sung and that worried Allen. After the first rounds of catching game, the animal signs trickled out until none could be seen close, not even damn squirrels. Allen wasn't the only one that was alarmed by all these signs though, with several of the older and especially veteran demigods reacting on trigger fingers to the slightest sudden movements with patrols around the camp border using white-knuckle grips.

They all could look in the same direction, seeing the single mountain cresting far above even the tallest trees of the forest. It had been visible for some time as they flew, making several gawk at the sheer size of it and several to proclaim their shock when on board telescopes had been used, allowing sight of the walled and gated city resting on it. Even now, as he stepped out of the supply tent his gaze turned towards that very mountain, spotting the dull glow in the distance marking the very top and vibrant city.

And if the Olympians had their way, they would march on it and raze it to the ground.

Allen's blood curled at the thought, even if he doubted they could possibly storm such an obviously well-defended fortress of a city. He'd read history accounts, both of mortal description along with some godly accounts throughout history provided by their mother for their cabin soon after 'Umbra' made a show of executing Ares in the throne room to prepare them for what might come. Armies clashing was one thing, but a completely different beast was unleashed in siege warfare with the mix of civilians thrown in. He'd read some hand-written accounts of old soldiers and even lesser known heroes and demigods from even the times of Trojan War. He didn't understand why both his mother and Annabeth had forbidden the younger demigods from reading the accounts until he read some passages himself.

He had wretched the first time.

He remembered reading the old and faded notes, stained with dried blood as some professed their glee at breaching cities under siege. To be 'blood drunk' as adrenaline surged through their veins with the taste of victory, releasing all manner of frustration and desire in equal parts through wanton violence, lust, and abuse to their would-be victims. Siege warfare made monsters of men and under the leadership of gods such as Zeus, Allen held no delusions that the very demigods around him would respond differently.

And if it came to such, Allen would honestly rather see his fellows slaughtered before they could breach such a city and become those very monsters … after all, with no actual monsters here, someone had to fulfill the role. Shaking his head of such thoughts he moved on, grabbing his spear and shield and beginning his own rounds. Being a cabin counselor and a chosen officer for Athena's Vanguard, he had to make sure those under his command were safe and resting.

So far the gods made plans to attack in the day, taking away Percy's advantage though Allen doubted there would be much difference. Like many of the demigods brought to the camps after the 'Golden Generation' as some called them, marking the key veterans of the Second Titan and Giant Wars, the skill level was simply beyond scope. Allen had been a full timer since his tenth birthday. He'd traveled between both camps to familiarize himself, met several of them including Jason, Nico, and even Thalia in passing once while seeing their training and sparring matches between some of them, including ones like Reyna and Clarisse to name a few.

The way they moved, reacted, tested and probed their opponents until swiftly taking them down. The current demigods and Amazons simply could not compare. And now some of those demigods had ascended to godhood and were their enemies. And even now they weren't fully informed, unsure of what others were with these new primordial gods and that especially didn't bode well for them. And yet, Allen could see it whenever he glimpsed the gods among them such as Artemis, Zeus, and Hera. Those three were all almost foaming at the mouths to fight and tear apart the primordials, especially Jackson from what he could tell.

Thinking of Jackson, Allen's gaze drifted to the central command tent where several of the gods were now with his sister at the center of it. She had flashed to them just yesterday, while they were still in the air much to the alarm of those patroling the decks at the time. Her disappearance had not been missed and only Allen had been aware of her intention, luckily he had only been asked in passing and not by Apollo, otherwise he would have been forced to tell about Annabeth's visit to the new mountain.

Luckily she had managed to get to him before she was pulled along to be questioned at her sudden departure and return. She hadn't spoken a word but simply left a note in his back pocket as she hugged him and moved on, her attention brought to some of the other worried demigods that had been around Allen at the time before a minor god appeared and took her to speak to Bellona, the major goddess in charge of the ship at the time. Landing had only brought the other Olympians together where they continued as the camp was set up.

He'd checked it when he got the chance to be alone and read the simple, yet so relieving message. 'Mother is safe. Offer is real.' He didn't need further explanation and with it, breathed easier before slowly spreading the news amongst his siblings within Athena's Vanguard. Given the current tensions, trust was rare and with the disappearing act of dozens of demigods right after Ares' execution, most eyed each other with suspicion. Some wondering whether the very ally guarding their back wasn't in fact one to have turned on Olympus, or if they were actually loyal and would cut you down because you were hesitant in turn to fight for the Olympians.

At least his own siblings were of similar mind, not wanting to fight but more worried about their mother and now, reassured with the return of their sister. Now his only goal was to keep them together in the coming battle, and if given the chance, willingly surrender with them. Their safety was his real concern, to a lesser extent, the demigods in general. Still, at the moment he need to—

 **Crack!**

Allen jumped as an earsplitting thunderclap boomed within the camp, followed by cries of shock and commanders barking orders. His heart raced as he followed suite, calling Athena's Vanguard to him even as he ran to their command tent. His vision sometimes blurred as lightning strikes came at random, seemingly hitting nothing even if at times the bolts landed close enough to almost graze tents or demigods near them.

With the strikes came hurricane winds, the very howl of it rumbling the entire camp and drowning out voices. Allen ignored it all as he finally arrived to the head tent for Athena's Vanguard, making quick work of donning his breastplate, helmet, and grabbing his weapons. The sound of feet stomping and muttered curses clued him in to the arrival of several of his siblings along with other demigods of his squad hastily fastening their gear. With his own finished he turned his steely grey eyes on his peers and noting their armor formed of mixed bronze and leather, their weapons and shields sadly being the only implements of celestial bronze due to their sheer numbers, drawing their attention as they completed their assemble.

"Alright," he started, nearly shouting over the wind and pitching tent. "Form ranks of 1st through 4th in front lines and the rest a boxed formation. We don't know if there is a sole direction of attack or not and enough trees haven't been clear in the perimeter of the camp to allow for proper phalanx rows. We'll gather at the north end facing the mountain. Stay close and don't break rank or so help me, I'll hand feed you to the next bear I see. Clear!?"

His last shout was met with a 'yes sir!' as they stood at attention. He nodded in approval and immediately ran out, his nine captains breaking off slightly to assume command of any of their forces and bring them to the northern sect of the camp. Some panicking demigods saw them already in uniform and already moving with a directive allowing their training to kick in as they reigned themselves in and looked for their own commanding officers.

Allen took it all in, his mind racing with plans and strategies as some of the demigods under him joined up, some only partly dressed for battle given the signs of missing helmets or breastplates but at least everyone had a shield and sword or spear on hand. ' _Okay, once gathered it will be best to keep the stronger lines facing the forests and our lighter back kept to the camp. Others should be gathering as well, let's just hope they do before whoever is attacking shows up,'_ he thought as he paused to grab one fallen demigod and hoist him up before promptly shoving him in the direction of the nearest weapons tent.

' _As long as no one does something stupid and tries to be a hero thinking they can make a name for themselves. Not like they stand a chance on single combat anyways,'_ he thought morbidly before his eye caught one demigod having jumped onto a pile of crates. He was a large dude, dressed in thick armor and hoisting a golden war hammer proudly in the air even as some lightning stroke around him and the wind thrashed about making quite the imposing image.

"Is that all you got!?" he roared to the heavens. "Your time is over you so called heroes and soon you'll fall to our blades! My name is Darius Mc'Olgen, son of Mars and I will—"

 **Crack!**

Whatever was going to be said was cut short as another bolt came and stroke the demigod right at the chest. In a grizzly show of gore he popped like a water balloon, splattering his charred inside around him while leaving his smoking pelvis and legs upright where he had been.

 **Thunk.**

Allen almost robotically tilted his head to the side and down, eyes staring at the smoking hammer that had landed beside him, his reflection shining for a moment as another strike of lightning came from somewhere behind him. Now he knew there was blood splatter on his helmet as well, soon joined by the smell of charred flesh. The sound of throwing up came off somewhere to his side and he was pretty sure someone was screaming in hysterics but at the moment he just felt numb.

He'd already fought monsters on extermination runs and retrievals, seen the aftermath when they arrived too late, and consoled other for their loses. Yet none of it compared to seeing the moment another human, not monster, was killed. It was quick and simple. No fighting to your last breath, struggling and pushing forward in your efforts, perhaps consoled with the thought of having your actions remembered and name praised. No honor, no glory, and if Allen lived to see tomorrow, he knew he wouldn't even recall the name.

Shaking his head and swallowing the bile that rose up, he soldiered on and even with the winds, he could tell those following had gone quiet. As he ran he saw more groups form up, all sorts of unique emblems and manors of armor appearing as some of the gods started to show. He spotted Apollo for a moment, shining with golden light as his Rangers gathered around him.

"Duck!"

He looked up at the call, timing seeming to slow as he spotted a bolt heading right in their direction. His body moved on its own, hunkering down as he raised his shield and not a moment too soon. The bolt landed less than a foot in front of him, the static of which struck his shield and numbed his arm as he barely braced himself while someone held his back. His ears were ringing as he slowly stood up, looking at the small, smoking crater just a bit in front of him. Suddenly he couldn't help but picture himself going out the same way the roman demigod did earlier.

"Keep moving!" he ordered after a moment, slowly regaining feeling in his arm and glancing back.

Several of his captains were gathered again and now dozens of demigods followed along behind or in rows parallel to his own. They moved closer as a unit, almost jogging as they traveled through the camp with the great mountain in view beyond the forest canopy. Sometimes they had to stop or outright jump out of the way as centaurs ran past, the rather disorganized Party Ponies falling into disarray with the sudden lightning storm. A thunderous boom and nearly white glow drew several of their eyes, Allen included as they looked to see Zeus floating a few meters above the camp, Master bolt in hand.

His eyes glowed with power as the very air hummed in response before small spheres of lightning formed around him. With a wave of his wrist they launched around, intercepting the fired bolts and lighting up the night in blinding displays. ' _At least he's helping to protect the army,'_ Allen thought even if he wondered why more demigods hadn't been hit before remembering his sister's note. ' _So if elimination isn't the goal, then what?'_ he wondered as they finally arrived at the northern edge, the only side to have had a good chunk of forest cleared.

"Form up!" Allen ordered over the wind.

The demigods followed, lining up shoulder to shoulder with shields locked, the thickest line of four rows while the sides at three and back with two. Allen stood near the center space left, constantly walking back and forth as his captains dispersed within the ranks to keep order, catching the slight mutterings when close. His heart sank as he noticed some of the youngest within the ranks shaking in their armor. He tried to steady them while idly noticing as other groups formed up near them including their sister-group, Bellona's Cohort with said goddess barking her orders.

Allen could already see minor gods mobilized above them, trying to keep their chariots steady. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder making him jump and almost pull out his sword. Luckily he looked in time to see a familiar set of grey eyes and blonde hair through her helmet. His sister, Annabeth, had finally joined them. She gave him a reassuring nod before turning her attention to the other demigods that had noticed her, her very presence already causing a calm as the demigods steadied themselves.

With his sister back in proper command he turned to checking the lines and noting where the forces of their allies were and what was being covered. So far several lines and clusters had formed around them with attention generally aimed at the mountain and forest leading to it. The winds seemed to be calming and with Zeus diverting the lightning, order was being restored … until one demigod shouted out.

"Contact! North side!"

At once most of the attention was turned their and Allen could here several gasps and hitching breathes as they all saw what was before them. Just over a hundred meters away, right at the edge of the cleared trees stood one familiar hero. Percy looked at them, standing alone and almost blended with the darkness around him, only his icy blue eyes glowing from within the shadows with the occasional lightning strike making him more visible.

Tensions rose and Allen could feel a pressure gathering making him glance to the side to see a not so surprising sight. Artemis' Hunt had gathered closer to the edge of the clearing and the goddess was at the head, her eyes glowing silver as she held her bow and snarled as her gaze remained locked on the one who almost wiped out her hunters.

"Steady," Bellona's voice carried over the dying winds as she stood next to Annabeth, spear at the ready as all eyes remained locked on the most dangerous of their opponents.

Then, as if intentionally timed with the next lightning strike, Percy smirked for all to see before he slowly started to step back, his figure dissolving into the darkness with only his glowing eyes still visible. Then, with a blink he was gone even as a deep chuckle echoed throughout the clearing. Allen felt like ice water had been poured into his veins as he listened to it, his nose scrunching at the smell of piss wafting off some of the demigods before chaos broke loose.

With no signs or warning the earth started to shake causing cries of alarm and surprise. Then Allen cursed as the very ground under him shifted and moved as if it was alive, nearly making him fall as their formations were literally pulled apart. Entire rivers of mud and soil formed separating the demigods and Amazons in random directions even as the grounds continued to shake. Then the ear-racking sound of metal groaning and being torn rung out as he looked to see one of the Argos being tied up.

However, what was truly worrying about the sight was that it was by several massive trees. Trees that weren't there before as they loomed over the ships with branches acting like serpents, tangling the ship along the masts and any other foothold. Even from a distance he could tell the main mast of the ship being tied down as breaking meaning the power of those branches was enough to easily kill a demigod.

"Pull together!" he heard Hera order from within her units of Amazons though it seemed in vain as the earth simply shifted again and again.

Screams and shouts started to fill the air as some demigods suddenly found themselves being tugged by trees rapidly growing right out from under them, the branches tying around necks or legs before hoisting them into branches. Dread took an icy hold of him as cries and shouts for help were suddenly silenced following as demigods were dragged into the darkness of the trees.

"Come out you cowards!" roared one Craceus Orelous as he stood near some of his romans, his praetor cape billowing behind him as he spun wildly, his Imperial gold blade glinting with a faint glow in the darkness. "Fight us like proper Romans! Or are you too cowardly to dare face us directly!?"

His challenge drew some shouts of agreement as split up cells gained courage while brandishing their weapons calling out similar challenges, as if to goad the new primordial gods into facing them head on. Brave and courageous, openly defying what were obviously superior warriors using any and all tactics available to them, instead wanting to face them in tests of skill with their blades. That's why they were called heroes and remembered but Allen had another word for them.

Fools.

There was the momentary low in movement as the earth settled and everything settled for a split second. Then like vipers, five branches sprung from the trees around the praetor and his unit. Before he could react all five were tangled around his neck, wrists, and ankles, hoisting him above their heads as he struggled in vain, unable to swing his sword to cut himself free.

Then they started to pull.

All the demigods that could see could only star in shock as they watched, and heard, as the demigod was pulled in every direction. The popping and cracking of bones, the shrill screams of agony, before there was a final tug and he was ripped apart in a shower of blood. Silence took hold as some demigods fell to their knees, in shock as they stared at the headless, arm and legless body left of the challenging demigod as some possibly realized something Allen had himself come to terms with only days after the first attack and kidnapping of his mother.

They were not fighting Greeks or Romans, irrelevant of divinity. These weren't arrogant and boastful gods that preferred to lord their apparent victory, an action that had led to many of their defeats in the past. Allen had seen how they attacked and fought already, using weapons of completely different cultures, fought with unique styles that only hinted at differing origins. They were facing completely new enemies, unknowns aside from identity and even that was limited. They were opponents that couldn't care less for honor or glory but opponents that could and would cut them down without hesitation.

Skilled. Efficient. Lethal.

And it was that realization the truly started the breaking of morale as some demigods simply fell to their knees, weapons left forgotten at their sides. A minor god sped over them upon his chariot, trying to rally them … only to be shot out of the skies with a bolt. Allen watched as he fell, part of his breastplate and left leg looking charred as his chariot splintered, plowing into the shifting grounds. A groan drew some eyes as the god shook his head to ward off the dizziness, slowly getting up on shaky legs.

"What in the damn Pit," he growled as he looked to his large celestial bronze sword that landed just some feet away, miraculously still in place despite the churning earth around them.

He made a step towards it before suddenly the ground beneath his foot opened up. He cursed as his leg fell under and he was about to pull himself up but then tendrils seemingly made of roots and soil shot out, wrapping around the god much to his alarm. He started thrashing and shouting as the tendrils pulled into their abyss, uncaring of the struggles and curses. He lunged forward, falling flat with his hand inches from his blade before his eyes shifted to them, a furious glare becoming prominent even as his other hand clawed for purchase against the pulling roots.

"Help me you ungrateful bastards!" he roared before suddenly crying in pain as a root punctured through the back of his calf.

Whatever anger had been was replaced with fear as the god's struggles became desperate, grabbing at the soil only for it to give out between his fingers. Allen's eyes shifted to the ground as it writhed and molded, his knees shaking as it rose up and formed the upper half of a lion's head causing many of shocked demigods to move back, those of which having fallen to their knees earlier crawling backwards. The god noticed and looked back, his face going bone white before it turned to them.

"HELP M—"

 **Crunch!**

He was silenced as the earthen jaws clamped down, the head melding back into the earth as if it was never there and the god along with it. All that was left behind was a severed wrist dripping ichor, having just managed to grab ahold of the sword. Allen heard someone throw up. Another one, likely one of the young ones going by the pitch of the voice, broke down crying and wishing to leave this war right then and there.

He couldn't blame the young one. Even if he knew the primordial gods' offer to safety if they surrendered was true, at the moment this was an attack meant to deal crippling blows to their moral, something made obvious the moment Allen noticed the lightning strikes mainly ran them out of their tents and corralled them in the open. Percy's appearance, the taunting chuckle, the way they were being picked off and made to watch as anyone who fought was brutally executed. Allen doubted this was random killing but a deliberate choice of who and how.

Laying down his weapon would probably see him spared but it wouldn't get him out and he had no doubt those seen as willingly surrendering would face wrathful Olympians tomorrow. So for now he steeled himself, going as far as biting the inside of his own cheek to focus on the pain rather than the fear encroaching on him. He needed to get his siblings together again and prepare to weather this storm…

* * *

 **Lola Jefferson, Same Time**

Lola was panicking. Her chest was heaving as she pressed her back against a tree, her hands holding a shaky bow. Never before had she been so utterly scared as she was now, almost alone as she watched several of her peers, the hunters, get picked off one by one along with the occasional Amazon that happened to have split with them. Ever since the earthquake began, the Hunt had been collectively pulled further away into the thick of the trees. All of three seconds had passed before Percy appeared again, almost tauntingly close and predictably, Artemis had pursued the moment he dashed off.

With both their patron goddess gone and separated from the larger army, they'd been left with new opponents that stepped out of the shadows. Lola had instantly recognized two of them, having seen their projections in memories from the first attack in the Hunt.

Medusa and Lupa.

She'd watched as they drifted in and out of shadows, toying, probing, and testing out the Hunt as they were forced apart. Then it would happen. A wolf, smaller than Lupa, had lunged out of one shadow and bitten into the shoulder of an Amazon turned hunter and within the split second, dragged her into another shadow and disappeared with the hunter screaming in agony and panic the whole time. That had been the start and Lola couldn't do a thing but watch. Pitch black arrows would come at random, never missing a mark whether it was something as simple as hand or foot to some arrows being buried up to the feathers in someone's neck.

They'd been over a hundred with Artemis recruiting them, plenty not willingly either such as Lola herself. She was raised to care about family after all, and was even a bit of a daddy's girl. The thought of being pulled away from her father, her mortal side of the family, and her siblings in the camp horrified her. At the very least two of her sisters had joined as well but only after Lola had already been all but forced to join after Artemis saw her talents with a bow. She could only hope she was allowed to leave once this was all over … if she survived that is.

For now though all she could do was rapidly looked around, heart racing as screams and shouts rung out throughout the forest. There were also the sound of massive collisions farther off, savage shouts, and momentary sparks showing that several of the gods were fighting right now. The Hunt was already down a dozen at the very least, some of them sporting various injuries on their person. One hunter had even managed to react in time and stab a wolf through the head as it bit into her leg, instantly killing it. It was an empty victory though.

Not even ten seconds later a black chain had come from the canopy of trees and wrapped around the hunter's neck. With a violent pull it tugged the hunter up and swung, colliding her body with a tree causing a sickening snap before the chain released and the hunter's broken body fell back to the earth. Lola had watched as the hunter took a last, agonized breath and then fell still. Some had panicked at that, turning tail as they tossed down their bows and strangely enough, they were left unmolested in doing so.

"MEDUSA!" the enraged voice of Artemis roared from somewhere within the trees, doing more to scare the remaining hunters and few other demigods amongst them.

Lola's eyes turned in the direction she thought it came from as another shockwave exploded from that direction, buffeting her hair as some of the trees groaned in protest around them. Another lightning strike made Lola jump as she glanced up, seeing Zeus through a break in the trees as he struggled to divert the onslaught of bolts. It was next to useless though, given how widespread the army was now. Though, from what she'd seen, most of the bolts had been near misses or struck the chariots of the minor gods clean out of the skies, but very few demigod casualties. Had she been calmer she would have put that inherent wisdom to use and figure out the purpose of such attacks but at the moment she was strictly limited to observance and reaction.

Suddenly there was an explosion and shockwave behind her, sending her flying as dirt buffeted her before she landed on some shifting soil. She shook her head as she got on her hands and knees, looking back only to see Hera getting up out of the crater, her shield slightly dented but otherwise she looked unharmed even as she directed shaky eyes towards something. The close hunters and demigods looked in the same directly only to blink in confusion.

There stood a woman, a goddess by the air of power around her, dressed in a very dark green, nearly black, battle chiton with a green and golden sash around her waist. Golden-hazel eyes with emerald pupils, emerald bracers reaching up to just shy of her biceps, and similar greaves over closed leather boots. Her weapon was strange though, being a large staff made of a black metal mixed with the emerald held at the goddess' side as she stood at a ready stance, eyes trained on Hera.

"So even you stand with that council … mother," Hera said in a resigned and bitter voice as several of the demigods gasped, now knowing who the goddess was.

"You're no child of mine," Rhea growled back making plenty of the demigods to take a step back. "And that's Queen Rhea to you."

"Queen …?" Hera murmured before her eyes widened in disbelief which then made Rhea give a fanged grin with a faint nod.

In that moment a set of beautiful wings of earthen and golden tones burst from her back accompanied with the sound of shifting gravel.

"Another primordial," Aria, the lieutenant of the Hunt, muttered in distaste as she readied an arrow in her bow while others pointed various weapons at her.

"Do you honestly want to fight, demigods?" Rhea asked as she glanced around, getting several to shakily glance at their weapons while others only took more aggressive stances. Rhea sighed before almost whispering, "So be it."

Then she exploded into action, covering the distance between herself and Hera within a second while lunging with a thrust of her staff. Hera narrowly ducked, bringing up her shield enough to partly deflect the hit even as it grinded against the shield edge. Hera responded in kind, her sword blurring towards Rhea's neck but the winged goddess barely glanced at it as she slapped it away with the back of her covered hand much to Hera's obvious surprise. In that opening Rhea pivoted around, the other end of the staff being pulled around and before Hera could close her guard, slammed into her breastplate.

With a collision like a cannon shell meeting solid stone Hera was sent careening back through several trees and out of sight. In that moment some hunters attacked with a few demigods charging in, thinking the goddess wasn't paying attention.

How wrong they were.

A hail of arrows flew towards her but Rhea merely spun as her wings flared out. Arrows that weren't buffeted away with the sudden gust collided with metallic clangs against the wings without leaving so much as a scratch.

Then she attacked them.

Lola's eyes could barely even track her, at most catching a blur of emerald and those golden eyes. Rhea appeared before two demigods, swing already in motion as they brought their shields up but it did them no good. The staff collided with the shields and the bodies behind them, sending both demigods soaring into the trees in boneless heaps before Rhea turned and like a lion, swiped at the head of a hunter that hand lunged at her back. Like a hammer slamming into a watermelon, grey matter exploded around, the crude decapitation leaving a twitching body behind as Rhea turned her feral eyes on the rest.

None dared attack, eyes on the goddess' right, clawed hand still dripping blood before she snorted. Turning her back on them her wings minutely extended before she dashed off in the direction she'd previously sent Hera, another collision soon coming from the distance. Lola felt as if she could finally breathe as she sank to her knees, her knuckles almost bone white as they gripped the silver bow in her hands.

This was too much. She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to serve Artemis, or even be in this war. She didn't want glory or fame. She just wanted to go back home with her family, to see her mother safe and sound before taking her usual year in her mortal home with her father and cousins. Tears started trail down her eyes as her entire frame shook. Everything simply stared to get tuned out, only the sound of her own sobs reached her as the world became blurry through her tears.

Faintly she heard a scream and orders followed by more screams. Something wet hit the side of her face making her blink and wipe at her face through her sniffles before she turned to look. All she saw was the bloody tiara of the lieutenant before muffled steps drew her gaze forward. Leather boots were what she saw first before she looked up. Black jeans transitioned to a dark blue shirt and a black leather jacket that seemed to radiate darkness until finally her grey eyes met a pair of writhing black flames and icy blue pupils.

Percy stood before her, the Viking short-sword drawn in his left hand as he looked down at her without a trace of emotion. She started to cry right then and there, nothing but dread filling her as the legendary hero stood before her, knowing that her nine, nearly ten short years were up. Her bow dropped and forgotten, she waited for the end even as she wished she had gotten to say goodbye. However instead of feeling the cold sting of a blade, she felt something grab onto the back of her parka and lifting her.

In a moment she was dropped onto something furry. Her cries stopped in surprise as she looked down to see she was sitting on a pony-sized wolf. Looking to the side she was met with the back of the dark god, seeing him glance back with softened eyes before he looked away. She didn't get to utter a sound as the wolf suddenly leapt, making her squeal slightly as she gripped the thick fur while darkness surrounded them. She closed her eyes in reflex, hunkering down against the wolf.

Second passed with absolutely no sound, not even her own breathing as a cold stillness surrounded them before it abruptly ended. Where once was silence and darkness was now vibrant light and a chorus of voices. She blinked her eyes as she tried to adjust, slowly getting a clearer picture as she looked around. It was a camp of some sort with several large bonfires lit around, all manner of nymphs, satyrs, and mortals if she had to guess running around with blankets, medical supplies, and other such items.

Getting a better look she realized they were tending to numerous demigods of all sizes in various states, some looking shaken to the core and covered in dirt, blood, and grime while others merely looked merely surprised to the point of shock. She was shaken from her observations though as a pretty woman with auburn hair in a bun and cream chiton sped up to her.

"Oh dear, another of Athena's," the woman said as she quickly picked Lola up and off the wolf which soon disappeared into a shadow.

In a flurry of motion Lola found herself divested of the parka and small breastplate leaving her in a simple shirt and her stained jeans before a warm blanket was wrapped around her and a clean cloth was trailed over her cheeks. A cloth that she absently noted came off caked with blood and dirt.

"Lady Leto," a nymph said as she ran up to Lola and the woman currently cleaning her up. "Another one just arrived but she's unresponsive. Total shock."

The now named Leto clicked her teeth as she pulled back from Lola. "Really, needing to go this far just to keep the Olympians and anyone watching unsuspecting." The goddess looked at the demigoddess with a sad smile before she gently took Lola's shoulders and turned her away. "I think there's someone that would be happy to see you," she said as Lola's gaze zeroed in on a familiar head of blonde hair.

She gasped and before she knew it she was running, tears of sheer relief spilling down her cheeks as she covered the distance in seconds.

"Mama!" she cried as she threw herself at the goddess who'd been tending to what appeared to be one of her siblings judging by another head of blonde … not that Lola could really focus on that at the moment.

The blonde goddess caught her, engulfing her in a hug out of simple reflex as Lola held on tight. She didn't hear what her mother said at the next second, didn't care for how they drew attention with how loud she'd been, or even that she had just been on a battlefield. All she cared about at the moment was that she was with her mother…

* * *

 **Annabeth, Same Time**

The goddess raised her shield before shoving it aside, slamming an oncoming wolf back into the darkness. She huffed as she shifted around, her sword arm swinging as she sliced through several assaulting branches. Demigods milled around her, back to back and moving in tandem to fend of the onslaught, her presence creating a pillar of control and efficiency within the storm. Her eyes scanned every demigod, their position, and predicted oncoming attacks within minute seconds, her training and experience naturally falling into play.

With a twitch her wrist flicked and she barely looked as a smaller wolf was lopped in half as it had tried to make a go at her blind spot. She glanced at her bloodied sword before passing over the dead wolf, scrunching her nose in distaste of the action even if she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. She understood the intention of the attack within moments, watching as the morale of the entire army was systematically dismantled while dealing crippling blows to the leadership, especially those heading more aggressive stances against the new protogenoi.

The separation and scare tactics, using hit-and-run at key points, and making a gory show of certain kills. It was all guerilla tactics, the very aspect of her domain and something she'd naturally mastered. She'd already picked out who their targets would most likely be, understood where and how they would attack … and she let them be. She'd already decided to turn against Olympus and now was doing nothing more than going through the motions, keeping her own safe and watching as certain individuals were picked off like that praetor that got pulled apart.

She grimaced at the sight and dearly wished many of the demigods didn't needed to see this but there was no avoiding it. Percy and co didn't want to fight this army in the first place and what better way to stop an army that take away the very will to fight? Although, it was guaranteed that when this was all said and done, plenty of demigods would be terrified of them and want nothing to do with them but they were willing to bare it. Better alive and living somewhere away from the primordial gods then fighting a losing battle and dying pointlessly.

Intentions and consequences regardless Annabeth rolled to the side as she avoiding getting impaled by a branch of a low tree, silently cursing that Rhea seemed to be a little eager to mess her up along with this attack. At least Hestia wasn't part of the attack, otherwise Annabeth was sure she would have been charcoal by this point. She glimpsed a few moments of combat and was actually surprised to see Rhea actually present and combating Hera, the pair moving from collision to collision with anyone trying to help Hera being turned into red stains.

Most of the minor gods were still trying to retain their control of the chariots but were being shot out of the sky even with Zeus intercepting so many shots. She'd also barely noticed the appearances of Medusa and Lupa as the pair picked off demigods through the shadows, the black arrows tipping her off that Lamia was supporting from within the trees as well. The rapport of a rifle fire made her look off to the southern direction nearest the camp, probably being one of the newest gunman taking a shot from a higher vantage point. Green sparks within the darkness also meant that some demigods, of those supplied anyways, had resorted to using their improved Desert Eagles to kill off attacking wolves.

"My lady!" called one of the roman demigods as he ran to her from the east direction.

Her gaze shifted to him even as she blocked a large tree branch, grunting slightly as she shoved it back. Just her look alone already got him talking, sparing her the energy and focus.

"The Hunters, over half are gone!" the demigod shouted before cursing as another shift in the soil tripped him up.

Annabeth's heart skipped as she heard that, dread building in her gut as she thought about some of the unwillingly drafted demigoddess within the group, especially her three sisters. A part of her mind remained calm and reasoned that they'd been taken, already knowing that the council had stated they would try to pick out those surrendering but at the same time remembering that in this chaos, picking them out and taking the time to transport them away wasn't easy. Still, she steeled herself as she put some faith and hoped that at least some had only been taken.

Still, she could see why the demigod who'd reported was panicked. The Hunt was their main offensive force suited to long-range considering Artemis' blessings and teachings were intended as such rather than strengthening archery and gave more towards Healing and Theft/Stealth for Apollo and Hermes respectively.

"What about the remaining?" she asked as she cut through veins trying to tangle a demigod beside her.

"Scattered," the roman demigod breathed as he backpedaled from a rising root. "Some were running as if the devil was on their tail back to the camp, others joined up with other groups," he continued before suddenly pausing as he looked directly at Annabeth and took a shaky gulp. "Some spotted Jackson near where the largest group of Hunters were."

 _'_ _No wonder the Hunt was cut down so drastically,'_ Annabeth thought with a grimace, having been informed by her mother of the exact details of that even over a decade ago and how Percy saw the Hunt. ' _Still, I hope Lola, Arianna, and Mia are okay,'_ she thought silently before looking back to the demigod.

"Where is he no—"

 **Crash!**

She was cut off as she ducked down behind her shield on reflex, feeling all manner of wood chunks and dirt pelted at her before a voice roared out.

"Jackson!"

She lowered her shield along with the other demigods nearby to see Artemis pulling herself out of a pile of crushed trees. Her silver helmet was gone leaving her auburn hair to flow, her silvery eyes glowing with cold fury as ichor dripped down her busted lip.

Across from her stood Percy, his own face pulled into narrowed glare while only one of his blades remained drawn. His stance looked at ease even if Annabeth could see he was coiled like a spring, his focus never leaving the feral goddess. Annabeth along almost any who were close enough to see hunkered down and went silent as the two major fighters confronted, knowing that even getting caught up in their fight would spell doom. Annabeth was also wondering how long it would be before Apollo came, knowing he wouldn't leave his sister to fight alone.

"Artemis," Percy growled slowly, his voice dripping with venom as the very darkness around him seemed to pulse and writhe.

All was still for almost a minute, some not even daring to breathe before, by some hidden signal, both shot at each other.

 **Clang!**

Annabeth's ears were ringing with the explosive collision as the shockwave knocked over trees and demigods alike with the two fighters stalemated at the center. Her eyes watched as they suddenly blurred into motion, their blades only wisps of silver and black with spark after spark. Annabeth was sure only the immortals present could even really see some of the arm movement while the demigods could barely track as Percy and Artemis moved back and forth between the clearing their first collision created.

"M-monsters," she heard a demigod behind her whisper and looked back to see his panicked eyes desperately trying to follow the fight even as he shook like a leaf in a storm.

' _Monsters is right,'_ she thought as she returned her attention to the combatants, seeing them move with a savagery more expected of beasts yet with a precision and mastery befitting of immortal warriors. Each swing intended to kill, every block or dodge instantly answered with equally deadly counters. She watched as the greatest of heroes fought with the currently strongest goddess of Olympus. Then Artemis used a dual strike and seemingly caught Percy by surprise, his guard opening just enough for Artemis to follow with a crushing kick.

The blow landed against Percy's hastily placed forearm even as he grunted, his feet gouging out earth and wood as the force bled off but he wasn't down by a long shot. She squinted as she barely saw Percy suddenly close in and enter Artemis' guard before he lashed out with a vicious right hook, slamming it into Artemis' half-placed guard and blowing her clean off her feet. The goddess barely even had time to impact the ground before Percy blurred next to her and punted her through several trees.

"Is this it, goddess?" Percy's voice wrung out as he lazily held his Viking sword at his left side. "So much for the elite of Olympus."

The words only infuriated the goddess more as she got up, backhanding a large tree that nearly fell on her and turning it into mulch. Annabeth started to get worried as she felt the pressure build as the goddess' frame started to pulse mixes of silver and god. She could see the rage frothing and rising with every blow, feel the intensity of the moon's glow above them as the bitter adversaries assaulted each other. ' _She isn't going to …'_ she thought in horror before she realized she was going to.

"Artemis don't!" she shouted but it fell on death ears.

"Jackson, after ev **erything you've done, I'm going to make you pay!** " Artemis roared, shaking the very forest around them as she started to grow and glow.

"Eyes away!" Annabeth shouted over the suddenly billowing winds even as she planted her feet firmly and only just barely noticed Percy's sudden smirk.

She couldn't contemplate on it as not a moment later something akin to a miniature, compressed warhead exploded before her. Even being immortal, the harshness of the sudden glow forced her to look away and to her horror, she heard a few short screams meaning some demigods had in fact not looked away. The heat and light faded quickly and she looked to see the Olympian goddess in all her glory.

Standing at nearly thirty feet, she was adorned in silver body suite fit to practically resemble a second skin and matching her cascading silver hair and solid silver eyes lacking sclera or pupils. She could also make out the lines and grooves of small, scaled sized plates within the body suite covering her torso, abdomen, and most of her back. Over the suite were celestial bronze greaves and bracers along with some plates along the outer thighs and shoulders. Lastly were the twin silver knives in her hands, each as long as her forearms and an extended guard passing slightly over her knuckles.

Even in the thick of battle Annabeth had to commend Leo and Hephaestus for their redesigned armors used by the Olympians in their divine forms. Each had been restructured and refitted with more in mind that the standard warfare of ancient Greek times. Still, she didn't have time to admire the craftsmanship as a dark chuckle drew her gaze to Percy only for her eyes to widen. He stood at the same size as Artemis but only constructed of darkness with his glowing icy blue eyes and that same smirk.

" **Now we're getting somewhere,** " he chuckled before rushing the goddess at a speed that Annabeth barely followed.

In a blink he was there and even as Artemis made a swipe at him, he ducked and _twisted_ around her limb, rapidly tangling the enormous goddess until he stood right behind her. His lips of shadows drew near her ear as he had one hand wrapped around her neck, the other holding the back of her left hand, her right left immobilized by tendrils of darkness even as the goddess rapidly pulsed silver trying to break the grip.

" **How about we go somewhere a little more private?** " he asked before giving a fang grinned as Artemis paused in her struggles for just a moment, gritting her teeth.

Before she could retort though there was a sudden glow from across the battlefield and a familiar voice.

"Artemis!" shouted Apollo as he blazed through the forest, burning the trees and shadows alike away in a golden fury as he grew to his godly height of fifteen feet and looked ready to assume his divine form as well.

Annabeth wasn't sure what to do at that moment as Apollo quickly closed the distance, his sword already primed to stab right where Percy's head was, the master of darkness narrowing his glowing eyes at the approaching Olympian. But, before Apollo could get within striking distance, a white blur suddenly collided with him after having burst through the canopy.

 **Crash!**

A cloud of dust and ash was blown into the air as the ground shook from the impact though both Artemis and Percy seemed completely unbothered by it as the goddess resumed her struggles as the pulses of power coming off her started to increase in intensity. ' _I have to get the demigods back or they'll be vaporized if they're too close!'_ she thought in alarm as she prepared to command them back but her attention was turned again to a choked gasp.

Her eyes fell to the crater only to see her husband held in the air by the throat as Jason, now at fifteen feet as well, glared at the choking god.

"Get out of here Percy, we got it covered," the second winged god said almost coolly as he kept his eyes locked with the struggling sun god.

Without warning or preamble Jason suddenly let go of Apollo only to deliver a forward kick, sending the god barreling back. Without a glance back a white longsword appeared in the winged god's hand before he chased after the sun god, ignoring everything else. With those two gone her eyes shifted back to Percy only to see even more shadows covering Artemis, suppressing the pulses of her power and keeping her shackled.

" **Hope you said goodbye** ," Percy whispered before the darkness expanded around them, swallowing them into a lightless void before it collapsed with no sign of either god.

Annabeth scanned around and expanded her senses but she couldn't detect either of them. Her hands were shaking as she kept hearing the echo of his last words and nervously swallowed at the implications. She had no doubt of the results … or the chaos that would follow with the army.

Luckily she was shaken of such thoughts as fell back on her training and role as commander in place of her mother. "Form up!" she hastily ordered, some of the demigods shakily responding and closing ranks as they kept wearily glancing in the direction of white and golden flashes along with the occasional sound of metal colliding.

Seeing them all together and noting that more than just demigods from her unit were with her, she nodded and quickly started jogging, the demigods soon following. Thankfully the ground seemed to be settling making the movement easier and soon enough they managed to join up with more cohesive groups already reforming. She spotted her brother and made her way to him, seeing the relief flash in his eyes as he recognized her though she briefly hoped the blood on him wasn't his.

"Status," she ordered as the demigods quickly started to form ranks, weapons aimed at the few directions of noise marking immortal combat.

"A good chunk of the Vanguard is back together and I saw Hermes' Scouts grouping up again. Amazons are trying to support Hera," he said while gesturing further north before scoffing, "At this point they're just adding to the body count. As for Bellona, it looks like she ran off in the direction of Apollo and Jason to try and turn the tables. I can't say for the other gods or the rest of the army but I'd assume more than just Jason and Percy are attacking."

"Jackson disappeared with Artemis in toe," Annabeth said curtly, neither seeming too worried about the fact nor as if to dismiss it as unimportant.

The demigods present that had not witnessed the savage exchange and departure looked at her in shock and she could practically hear their morale dropping by the second. Taking Artemis was a two-fold blow, taking away a source of confidence due to her added power and also taking away one volatile goddess scaring a good chunk of demigods into fighting or else. She just knew tomorrow was going to be all sorts of messy, to speak nothing of what Apollo might do.

"Well …" Allen continued after a pause, looking as if he'd eaten something questionable and didn't know whether to like the taste or not. Considering what he knew about Percy's concern for them along with his own distaste for the goddess after she drafted Lola, Annabeth could understand why. "… Anyways, Hephaestus is with his Smiths and they're forming up closer to the camp itself but Leo is gone."

"What!?" she asked in surprise. Why would he leave?

However before she could begin to form up any plan or properly form up the demigods near her, she paused as she felt a buzzing, specifically in the breast pocket of her shirt beneath her breastplate. She went noticeably rigid causing several of the demigods to look at her in concern but she didn't pay them any attention. With almost robotic movement she sheathed her sword before reaching over the top of her armor and digging around. ' _Please no, please no,'_ she recited almost religiously as she soon found source of buzzing, lifting up to show a little red button connected to her necklace.

As big as a nickel and made of celestial bronze surrounding the enchanted red plastic, it buzzed and blinked in her clammy fingers. Her heart started to race as she stared at the device that not only had her attention but of the surrounding mortals. Now she knew why Leo had left … and just how much worse the night had just gotten.

In her hands was a buzzer linked to a panic button … a button that went off if a certain being wasn't within five meters of it or intentionally pressed. Built and programmed by Leo assisted by herself and Athena over a year ago, water and fire proof, capable of standing pressure levels meant to crush steel, and all the while discreetly hidden in plain view. Regardless of what was going on around her, this took priority as her body and mind reacted instantly as a warning flash came off her. Not a moment later she was gone in a flash, heading straight for Ogygia with only one goal in mind.

Get to Cloelia as soon as possible…

* * *

 **Now things are picking up. I believe the coming fight is something everyone was looking forward to and like one reviewer (you know who you are) said in a previous review; "Let them fight!"**

 **A collision of titans(pun intended) is about to begin!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


	41. Darkest Hour

**Welcome everybody to the next chapter. A battle you've all been waiting for but first, very Important so READ!**

 **Notes on Power Levels:**

 **I know I did this before but I feel like it needs more elaboration. Before I used Bleach comparisons and I'll do it again to explain power levels. If the gods have traditionally three states, then it mirrors the Shinigami.**

 **Zanpakuto Standard = Mortal Form**

 **Shikai Release = Godly Form**

 **Bankai Release = Divine Form**

 **However, for gods like Primordials who can't assume divine form in the mortal plain and are fundamentally more powerful, they are more comparable to the Arrancar/Espadas.**

 **Standard Espada = Mortal Form and Godly Form (They won't use it much and it's just an increase in power but not much else since they have the unique features of their Manifestations of Power)**

 **Resurrection/ Resurrection, Segundo Etapa = Release of the Manifestation that pushes their power to a semi-divine state which allows them to fight near their fullest without breaking Chaos' laws.**

 **So, just like the Shinigami needed to use Bankai to even push the Espada to using resurrection, the same applies to the primordial versus regular gods. Of course, just because their stronger doesn't mean the Olympians can't hurt them.**

 **Note: I know some will comment on Hyperion's fight being to long in some cases and then others will wonder why Artemis can put up such a fight and that is simple. Jason didn't fight while in proper control and only dominated after using his manifestation. Also, Hyperion had escaped for a few weeks and wasn't blessed by Pontus with more power. Hyperion was WEAK and RUSTY so obviously he wasn't much.**

 **Artemis is the STRONGEST Olympian goddess and can't be dismissed as a threat.**

 **ALSO: A lot of the time these stories work without really explaining the mechanics of the world or how things work which I am trying to set for this AU. In this case, a lot of human physics is either incomplete or incorrect since they can't attribute for mystic forms and elements beyond their comprehension. Like, if they got a same of god blood the best they'd get is comparing it to liquid nuclear energy. They don't know about literal god particles such as Ether that takes up the 'empty' space out of the atmosphere and in all substances which is why any god can breathe underwater (unless drowned by a water deity) or in a place such as the House of Primordials.**

 **So please no complaints about the physics don't work like that or such since I'm trying to fill in my own info on it.**

 **Alright, now that that's out of the way, ENJOY!**

* * *

Raven almost sighed as her eyes drifted around, a knot of guilt forming in her gut as she took in the sight around her. She sat near the edge of their 'rescue' encampment within the borders of the Third District, watching as all manner of mortal volunteers, satyrs, nymphs, and such tended to the demigods literally dragged and plucked out of the battlefield. Her heart ached seeing so many of them looking so shaken and tense, as if expecting immediate death to things even worse.

She knew that those brought had wanted to leave the fight for one reason or another, thanks to the combined efforts of her mother and father to subtly inspect dreams and desires the same evening of Annabeth's departure to verify who to spare. Granted they couldn't allow themselves to be recognized by said demigods during their investigations, otherwise only one chatty demigod was needed to tip off the Olympians to their efforts. Still, in an effort to keep the Olympians and army in general off balance, their kidnapping attempts couldn't exactly be gentle leading to more fear and confusion for the taken mortals.

Raven herself had been one charged with such a task, making use of her relative tiny presence to hide in treetops and shadows saturated with the power of her step-mother and father respectively. Still, she'd mostly done quick snatch-and-grabs before returning to the field and it was only now after having picked up most of the easily separated targets that she took a moment to rest in the camp. But that's what lead her now to seeing just what state they were in.

Even with her other step-mother, Hestia, being present and radiating a sense of warmth and safety as she tended to the demigods as well, the sheer combination of shock from the sudden attack and kidnapping to the pressure and tension inherently present during times of war was pushing many of them to and past the point of mental collapse. Raven also felt sick at seeing just how many of these demigods were barely teens and just not ready for battle like this.

She understood why so many were at the age though. Crude as it was, the simple matter is that when people celebrate, people fuck. Especially gods with the ability to be in many locations at once. After the second Titan War and Giant War, she was fairly sure many gods including those merely hiding in their homes as demigods laid down their lives were all too ready to go out and celebrate as if they played a part in it. Considering over a decade has passed since the wars it made sense a large portion of the increased demigods population was entirely new generations rather than other demigods finally being recognized and brought to the camps thanks to her father's first request to the gods.

And now those same demigods were being dragged into it and used as cannon fodder because the Olympians couldn't fight their own battles.

Sure she knew her own father had been this young and faced similar or even worse horrors ever since Zeus had his bolt stolen but he had been willing to an extent. Each time something happened, he had a personal reason for going and seeing things through and even then he'd readily admitted that half the time he was scared out of his mind and unsure what to do. But these children didn't have the personal drive or reason to fight other than fear of their own leaders or vague obligation thanks to being filled with notions of glory and duty.

But there was no glory to be gained here, no power or riches. Just a near hopeless battle, watching as their own fall and on the off chance that somehow the Olympians win, it would only be an empty victory for the demigods as they watch said gods crow and strut about, completely forgetting the loses and traumas inflicted on the mortals amongst them. Her fist balled up as she pictured it easily, her own substantial godly aura flaring in response making some of those working in the camp to pause and look in her direction.

Luckily another presence flared up momentarily making Raven glance up and look to it. Her icy blue eyes met the honeyed gold of her fellow Valkyrie, Piper, as the demigoddess sat several meters away while holding onto the crying form of her own sister, Tracy, another one taken from within chaos of the attack. The message was clear; to calm down otherwise her agitation would only serve to further aggravate the demigods brought in. She sighed with a nod as her power settled out and Piper returned her attention to her sister.

Raven suppressed the desire to sigh again as she took her eyes off them, instead looking at the rest of the camp only to zero in on a cluster of blondes. At the center was Athena attempting to calm and reassure her own children which consisted of one of the larger groups brought in. Almost glued to her side was her youngest daughter present, Lola, if Raven remembered correctly, still wrapped up in a small blanket and now holding Anesi, Athena's puppy, in her arms snuggly. That little one had latched on like a tick the moment she saw her mother and had refused to be separated until Athena had spotted Raven herself and made an odd request.

Raven had questioned at the time why she needed to go to Medusa and Athena's (temporarily?) home to pick up the pup. But seeing the results as Athena diverted Lola's focus to the puppy even if Lola still refused to be more than three feet away from her mother but at least Athena could more evenly share her attention. Still, even from here Raven could see Athena's sadness as she tried to comfort her children and any others that might be near, especially now that the goddess showed a far more empathetic and caring side than ever previously witnessed.

"Rough stuff isn't it?" a deep voice rumbled beside her.

She glanced up to see the familiar face of Hercules, the large god having been standing close by for some time himself after having handled a particularly agitated demigod. Raven didn't know what was said but after one demigod, possibly a son of Hephaestus given the build and size, had been brought in he'd still been on offensive. He'd swung around his hammer and rapidly scanning for any attacks after suddenly falling out a shadow portal causing any close nymphs and mortals to back up.

Luckily Hercules had been close and with the skill honed over millennia combined with a surprising level of speed, had disarmed and restrained the demigod with his bare hands before speaking calmly to the panicking mortal. Raven had watched as the demigod mumbled something back and slowly looking around before going almost limp and tearing up while Hercules patted him of the back reassuringly. She hadn't stuck around to see what else went on before returning to the forests to get another demigod.

Still, returning to his question she went with a very unlady-like grunt which still seemed to be sufficient answer for him going by his nodding in response. How he got anything remotely satisfying as a response form that, she wasn't sure. However, with her continued silence he spoke again.

"War never was pretty or honorable, regardless of how many authors glorify it, how poets romanticize it, or how leaders vouch for it and the possible gains from it. It's Hell and in the end there are no victors … only the survivors." Hercules then paused as he looked down at Raven, his electric blue eyes pinning her to the spot. "And now, it's a lesson all these demigods are sadly being forced to take. At the very least we are here to help some and now none of these have to fight any more."

Raven softly nodded at that, taking comfort that these demigods were at least removed from the fighting and wouldn't be needing to any time soon. So, with a deep breath she stood back up and shook her legs, getting ready to head back out into the battlefield. There were still demigods that could be brought in scattered around. However, before she could mentally decide on where to shadow travel, a shrill scream followed by other short shrieks, gasps, and worried murmurs broke out from the camp.

Both Raven and Hercules wheeled on the spot, their choice weapons drawn as they scanned for any possible enemies but instead only saw more and more heads looking up and pointing. Following the action, Raven tilted her head up only to cover her mouth in shock at what she saw.

The moon, glowing a harsh silvery light far above them, its surface littered with craters. However, where once were small and numerous markings were now absent, instead one massive crater close to the center stood out. Raven almost couldn't believe her eyes and jumped as another one suddenly formed on the right side. Her eyes widened as she watched on, transfixed as more craters and trenches formed along the surface, having a strong guess as to what was going on.

"Papa …"

* * *

 **Artemis, Same Time**

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she moved, racing across the barren landscape only to meet in another collision with the bastard, crushing the sterile rock around them and kicking up waves of dust only to be blown away in the same shockwaves. He met her head on, matching her unrestrained strength much to her fury, those eyes of black flame and icy pupils never leaving her.

So much was said in their gaze as both separated, Artemis with her two knives at the ready while Jackson remained with only one of his blades. Was he not taking her seriously? Did he think this was a joke!? Whatever it was, the fact that he wasn't apparently fighting at his full and still looking at her with those damn eyes only brought her wrath to new heights.

"What's wrong goddess, having doubts?" he asked, his voice having returned to normal along with his appearance even if he stood at an equal thirty feet in size to her.

" **Hardly** ," she bit back as she readied herself, looking for any and all openings in his stance. " **Just thinking of what I'll do once I have your head on a pike!** " she shouted as she charged at him again, moving in a silvery blur.

Percy didn't respond as he blocked her first slash before sidestepping the following thrust with her second knife. She internally cursed as she kept the offensive, her arms moving on sheer instinct as Percy maneuvered in and out of her slashes with contemptuous ease. Then, like a coiled viper he struck, making a low stab aimed for her gut. She was too close to backpedal out of reach so she step in and arched her back in response, mentally cursing at the unsteady position it left her in. She awkwardly spun and crossed her knives in time to bloke as the stab turned into a rising slash half-way through but it took her eyes off his free hand.

She only noticed too late as his right hand clamped down on her braced forearm and before she could react or shake him loose, he pulled her up and off her feet. Finding herself momentarily upside down threw off her sense of direction and so she received a punishing blow for it. With a grunt Percy pulled her back, slamming her head first into the unforgiving ground with a boom that she was sure could have been seen and heard on earth.

Regardless before she could even try to recover she felt the same pull, ripping her from the ground and then throwing her. She felt her back plow through stone and dirt, creating another trench on the surface of her moon before she finally skidded to a stop. She hastily stood as she shook her head, steadying herself before looking back in the direction she was thrown from.

There, clear as day even if over a mile away was Jackson, calmly walking in her direction as his gaze easily found hers. How she hated it. That steady unwavering look, not only looking at her but almost seeming to pierce the flesh and look beyond it to her very core, judging her, dismissing her. She grit her teeth as her power flared more around her, the moon literally pulsing with her anger.

The ground beneath her began to shake and crack as her frame glowed in an intense silver, the pressure around her rising to the point the relative gravity around her was increasing. Her state did not go unnoticed judging by how Percy paused in his approach, his eyes taking a wearier glint, not that it would do him any good. With an animalistic roar she blasted forward, her arms and knives glowing in silver.

Jackson's eyes widened as she closed in on him in seconds and barely brought up his sword as she slashed down. He grunted as his knees almost buckled, the ground underneath giving way like wet sand. She wasn't letting up though as she thrust her left knife forward, watching as Percy glanced at it and made to possibly knock her hand off course with his free hand.

It was a feint.

Half-way her stab stopped and out from behind it her swinging left leg appeared. With no time to bloke Jackson took the full brunt of a devastating side-kick to the ribs and much to Artemis' glee, she felt the cracking of bone. The blow followed through as Percy was sent careening back, his body skipping like a flat stone and carving up the surface of the moon as Artemis gave chase.

She caught up to him before he could even stop and could only place a guard up as Artemis flipped her right knife into a reverse grip before driving that hand into a downward punch, slamming into his crossed arms, driving him into the ground. She could see him wince slightly but before she could keep the pressure his eyes narrowed on her.

His arms opened the guard and instead of grabbing her right hand with his own right like she would have expected, instead she felt a knee get driven into the side of her inner left thigh. Grunting as she stumbled to the side with the unexpected blow, she watched as he kicked up backwards only to end in a peculiar hand-stand. However she didn't even have time to question the unorthodox stance before he spun his legs around in a windmill fashion, his left foot slamming into her shoulder and punting her back.

The force wasn't enough to blow her off her feet or anything but it didn't make her slide back enough for him to regain his footing, breathing harder as his Viking sword remained trained at his left side. She readied her own weapons, having already learned the hard way that relaxing even slightly would lead to further injury on her part. They stayed in silence for several minutes, neither moving before suddenly Percy rushed her.

She met his charge, her knives colliding against his sword as they strained against each other, their faces barely a foot or two apart. They struggled against each other, both glaring with hatred in their eyes.

"You know, I always wondered," Percy began, suddenly speaking up as they continued in their stalemate. "… Why was it that you were so willing to follow Poseidon's orders?"

" **Wha-?** " she was about to ask, caught off guard by the sudden question but that lapse in concentration proved painful as in that moment a fist was plowed into her gut, winding her as she slide back.

She coughed as she looked back at him, spitting out a wad of ichor as he continued on even as he slowly lowered his right fist.

"I used to think maybe it was some irrational hatred on your part, what with me having saved you several times. What, did you think I'd take advantage of such a debt, that I would be a typical, piggish male?" he asked with a sneer as he slowly started to paced, circling her as she stood in place. "Come on _Arty_ ," he said in a near drawl as his eyes glowed with cold amusement as she grit her teeth, her face following him. "What makes you tick?"

Artemis remained silent for a while, watching as he circled like a predator already sure of having caught his prey. The ease in his posture, the tone of his voice, way his eyes looked at her. She wanted to rip it all apart … but until then, maybe she could get some things off her chest.

" **You were a threat** ," she finally said as her grip tightened around her knives.

"Oh?" he responded with a pause, one eyebrow quirked up.

" **After Zoe, I couldn't risk other hunters becoming 'friends' with you only for it to get worse,** " she continued in a seething voice as she glared holes into him. " **I wouldn't stand for losing them to you!** " she suddenly shouted as she attacked, coming in with an overhead swing.

Percy saw it though and sidestepped it, the edges of her knives almost grazing his side as he swung at her and connected, the edge of his sword biting into side of her suite but failing to cut past the micro-scales within it in time. Not wanting to risk another direct hit that might get passed her armor, she jumped back, clearing several dozen feet before landing with her eyes trained on him.

"That suite's tougher than it looks," he idly commented as he glanced down at the small cut just below her ribs before looking to her face. "But really? You didn't want to risk your hunters being tempted? And I thought you'd let them leave willingly if they so wished?"

Her silence was his answer but he didn't seem to care as he continued on.

"Hmm, I could see how that might work out but still, to go so far as to commit unprovoked murder, that's a little far even for you," he said he patted the right side of his ribs with his free hand, nodding to himself.

She internally cursed at that, now knowing that he likely already healed from the fractured ribs just as her own busted lip along with the slight dizziness her earlier head injury had caused. This fight would take longer than she initially thought.

"Still, to murder my mother in cold blood, what could you possibly gain from that?" he asked, his voice becoming colder.

Artemis frowned slightly at the question before replying softly, " **I do regret killing your mother but …** " she said as her voice hardened as she aimed her knives at him. " **It had to be done and if I was ordered to do it again, I would.** "

Percy snarled at that and lunged at her, his sword coming down in a slash that she managed to bloke even as her legs threatened to buckle, the ground shattering beneath her.

"You have some nerve goddess," he growled as he slowly started to push her back.

" **She was the fool!** " Artemis replied through grit teeth. " **She should have known that gods never give up what's there's and Poseidon was no different!** " she shouted as she gave a heave, managing to break their lock if only to rapidly backtrack and avoid getting her face cut.

"And what? So then you just followed orders like a good little bitch!?" he shouted back as he punched where she'd just been standing, shaking the very moon with the force of the blow.

" **I did her a favor,** " Artemis replied as she charged at him, again going into a flurry of slashes. " **If I didn't do it, anyone else might have been sent such as Ares. Would you have preferred that!?** " she retorted and actually saw Percy pause in his attack before jumping back.

His eyes were trained on her as he seemed to be in thought, Artemis keeping her guard up and preparing for any sort of attack.

"Perhaps," he said lowly before narrowing his eyes at her. "And Paul, what about him?" he asked.

" **Irrelevant,** " Artemis dismissed off hand only to hear a low growl from primordial.

"Guess I couldn't expect any different. Then again, I considered Phoebe irrelevant as well."

" **Don't you dare!** " she yelled as she rushed him again, wanting nothing more than to silence him before anything else could be said.

"She was just a nuisance and chew toy more than anything," he continued, tilting his head just out of reach of a quick stab before responding with a right cross.

She tried to bloke it but didn't expect the force behind it, feeling her bracer actually groan from the hit as she was forced to jump back or otherwise get blown off her feet. She steadied herself as she glared at the dark god, gritting her teeth as he dared to call Phoebe nothing more than a chew toy.

"And you know what Artemis?" Percy asked as he gave her a dark grin. "Phoebe didn't even get to go to the Underworld."

" **W-What?** " Artemis asked, almost too surprised to block Percy's sudden rush, his sword colliding between her crossed knives as he looked at her.

"Oh no. After knowing she was your accomplice and when she tried to shoot Andromeda before I could take her, there was no way I was going to give her such an honor," he said before leaning closer to the point she could feel his cooled breath. "I had a cell in Tartarus with her name on it," he continued making her gasp which only made his grin grow. "Sadly her soul only lasted about a month under The Tartarus' tender care before it shattered and dissolved into nothing!" he shouted before ramming his head forward, slamming it into her nose and then delivering a punishing kick in the gut.

She rocketed through the empty space, covering several hundred meters before finally impacting the unforgiving ground. She shakily stood up as she recovered her breath, her hair obscuring her eyes as she played back on his words and Phoebe's apparent fate. Her frame started to shake with barely controlled rage as her mind tortured her with all manner of possible sufferings endured by her dead lover. Every scenario more sick and twisted then the last until … something snapped.

Her frame exploded with pure power, a silver wave of destruction following as the moon glowed and shook to mirror her.

" **JACKSON!** " she roared before she blasted forward in little more than a silvery blur.

She barely noticed Percy's eyes widening a how quickly she'd closed in on him. He placed his blade to guard but it did little as her glowing fist barreled into it, buckling back as his arms gave under the force. She didn't let up as her knives reappeared in her hands, her left swing at his face as he tilted back but still she managed to cut him along the cheek. Her right came with a thrust and collided with shoulder, right over that jacket of darkness and was met with a sound almost like pierced metal before seeing a spurt of platinum ichor.

Going by his surprised gasp of pain, she knew he'd expected full protection. Using his pain as a distraction she made another slash at his middle, scrapping along the coat but managing to cut in the middle where only his shirt was with another splash of silvery ichor and then another kick to drive him back.

" **You should have kept your mouth shut Jackson,** " she said in a seething voice as she jumped back, her knives disappearing in motes of silver before a blinding glow encompassed her hands. " **Because now I'm not just going to kill you but rip apart that mountain and every single person on it!** " she screamed as the light faded to reveal a bow.

Unlike her usual bow made of blessed silver, this one looked like it was made of actual, solid moonlight giving off an eerie glow. It had a celestial bronze grip and guard over her knuckles along with a string of woven celestial bronze and solid moonlight. Spanning nearly twenty feet in length from end to end and sporting razor blades along the outer edges, the weapon gave off a pressure that only a symbol of power could.

Without another word she trained the bow on Percy as he recovered his breath, posture immediately falling into millennia of mastery and use as an arrow of moonlight and divine power formed. Percy met her eyes as he looked up at her but she gave nothing away as she let loose. The arrow flew faster than even most immortal eyes could perceive and yet, she saw his arm blur and catch the arrow just before it could pierce his chest even as his feet tore through the group as the force bled off.

He looked like he was going to say something, maybe even taunt her further. However before he could even get a word out the arrow glowed brighter and right as he looked at it…

 **Boom!**

The explosion was comparable to a three metric ton payload, shaking the ground even beneath her feet as dust blocked out the dark god. However she wasn't about to wait for him to recover in any shape of form and soon had another arrow ready. She let loose and watched as the silver streak smashed into the dust cloud and quickly detonating. In the middle of it she saw a dark silhouette move and kept firing. In and out it moved but she just increase the rate of fire, her own arms blurring as arrow after arrow was launched, carpet bombing the land before her.

After minutes of continuous fire she finally stopped, breathing harder after channeling so much of her power. Her solid silver eyes scanned the space before her, hoping against all that the attack was enough to at least seriously injure, if possible even cripple Percy. Her bow wasn't any Master Bolt but that continuous fire still packed enough power to level any mortal city. Silence was all there was, even Percy's signature that had felt like a cold blanket surrounding her had diminished significantly. Minutes passed and the dust cloud was slowly dissipating but even then there was still no sign of Percy. She was almost about to release a breath of relief before she froze as she heard it.

"… Hehe … hehehe …"

The slow, dark chuckle began, carrying a raspy growl within it that made her skin crawl as she reflexively took a step back, eyes finally spotting the silhouette as the dust settled and then, he was revealed. He stood in the center of a field of smoking craters, slouched over with his hair obscuring his eyes and a small smirk as he continued to chuckle. However, he was far from looking good. She could see part of his face, primarily on the left side looked burnt and steaming, bits of platinum ichor oozing out in some open wounds.

The burns continued down the same side of his neck and where once was a coat of darkness was steaming tatters showing the skin beneath had suffered and even some bits of muscle could be seen. His left arm was hanging limp at his side while the shirt was completely gone showing raw skin and the large slash she managed to land before. His right thigh also showed a puncture and burn mark meaning she'd hit him directly at least once. Over all he looked like hell and even then, he still chuckled making the goddess wonder if he hadn't gone crazy himself.

"I have to admit Artemis, I've underestimated you," he said, finally raising his head enough for his eyes of black flames and icy pupils to lock onto hers. "You see, none of us are immune to moments of arrogance which in turn leads getting the rug pulled out from under us. Case and point," he chuckled while opening his arms to better show his battered state. "And I went as far as betting that even in your divine form you wouldn't be enough to push me to actually trying. Well, color me impressed … sadly," he then said in a darker tone as the darkness started to writhe around him. "That means things just got worse for you."

Suddenly shadows started to coil around his injuries as the coat dissolved into a miasma of darkness around him, his wings bursting out of his back as his sword turned into a ring on his left hand. She watched as the darkness started to swirl around him in thick streams, falling off his injuries like obsidian ash to reveal repaired skin. She could even hear some bones cracking and mending.

And the she felt it.

His diminished presence suddenly exploded outward making her physically recoil before a pressure was thrown on her shoulders. What had been like a cold blanket surrounding her suddenly shifted into feeling like being tossed into a pressurized freezer, weighing down on her as even her breathing became labored and feeling of dread started to flow through her veins. She could feel her own legs shaking in response as she saw the whirlpool of darkness before her quickly disperse, revealing a whole new form to her.

Where once his coat of darkness was, now an actual second skin of gleaming darkness covering the entirety of his arms, shoulders, back, and most of his chest save the very center and running down the length to shy his belly button. His jeans tore off just after the knees to show that the same darkness coated his legs and feet leaving the only regular displays of skin being the middle of his chest, neck, and face. His hands ended with icy, dark blue claws much like the few veins running the length and around his body of dark and bright icy blues.

His fangs looked more prominent as well but the features that really got her attention where the wolf ears sticking out of the top of his head and after a quick glance, she also saw a wolf tail waving behind him. She stared at the new being before her, feeling all manner of alarms going off in her head as every nerve she had screamed danger and to retreat. However, the moment he opened his, this time looking like two black orbs missing the white of the eyes with the narrowed, icy blue pupils, she was nailed to the spot.

Slowly he took a breath, flecks of what looked like black fire escaping between his glinting fangs before he started to look at himself, as if seeing it for the first time. Then he looked back at her before giving a fanged grin.

" **Well goddess, I hoped you feel honored. After all, you're the first enemy to have faced the full release of my manifestation of power** ," he said as he gave clenched his fists. " **Sadly I can count on one hand how many times I've assumed it after having ascended to full godhood. And for that, you'll have to forgive me if I get a little … wild,** " he growled as he looked at her again. " **Now then** ," he said as he flexed his right hand before his other sword, the katana, appeared in his grip.

Next thing she knew, in barely a second he was before her, his left claw lashing out and grabbing her throat before she could even gasp and the crushing grip choked her off. His face was right in front of hers, the predatory grin flashed as his eyes glowed with cold malice.

" **Let's see how strong you really are …** "

* * *

 **With Jason**

"I said it once and I'll say it again, you're not going anywhere," Jason said but he only got an incoherent yell as the other god attacked him.

Jason would have shaken his head at such a poor showing as he swung his sword, deflecting the blow meant for his neck before backhanding the unsteady god, knocking him back into some trees. He watched as Apollo shook himself and got up, snarling like a rabid dog as his frame burned in hues of gold before giving the distinct pre-flash denoting teleportation. However, before he could Jason appeared in little more than white blur and unceremoniously slammed the pummel of his blade into Apollo's armored gut, denting the armor and winding the god as he was knocked off his feet.

"This is just getting stupid," he said coolly as he almost casually walked towards the recovering god.

Unlike what mortals thought, Flash teleportation was not instant and took a moment in which time a god would gather their essence, usually to about half way and temporarily assuming divine form before breaching the barriers of space to arrive wherever it is they so choose. Sadly the divine form assumed in flashing was almost false in a sense that skilled or aware gods could use less than half of their essence, such as the primordial gods themselves, to safely flash and still not leave themselves vulnerable to death. At most Jason could make use of the moment to cut Apollo down, but not permanently meaning the god would reform in due time.

That left much to be desired with Jason's mounting frustration. Even if killing Apollo tonight wasn't the intention, he wouldn't have looked a gift horse in the mouth if Apollo had been foolish enough to assume his divine form due to desperation. After all, that was why Percy even went through the trouble of angering Artemis so much and only taking her away after she'd assumed a full divine form that couldn't just be re-sealed in the drop of a hat. So, for now he essentially was forced into a waiting game with the god, bidding his time and letting Apollo's own rampant emotions to keep him off balance and grounded. With that in mind he watched as Apollo stood again, literally feeling the burning of his glare as he responded with a narrowed glare back.

"Still going to try and escape?" Jason asked but only got a snarl back as Apollo suddenly switched his sword into his bow and start firing away golden arrows.

Jason wasn't daunted though as he gripped _Revelation_ with both hands before swiftly swinging his sword, cutting threw arrow after arrow while steadily closing in on Apollo. Once he was only a few paces away he rushed forward while bringing his wings out and using them to shield him from some of the arrows. The moment he was close enough he swung out, the edge of his blade digging into the Celestial bronze bow before knocking it out of the way and disarming the god.

Jason followed up with another swing, this time aiming low and scoring a cut along Apollo's thigh as the god cried out in pain. Using that distraction Jason lashed out with his left hand, grabbing the god by the throat and slamming him into a tree. He watched as Apollo struggled and clawed at his hand even as the god's face remained upturned, his eyes never leaving the moon seen through the break in the trees.

Jason glanced back as well, seeing the smoking craters and cuts marring the surface, feeling the two unique signatures of power even from here. He bet the mortals seeing this from their telescopes were having a field day right about now. He then looked back at Apollo and sighed in frustration. After all his training and efforts, fighting an opponent that couldn't even focus on him was disappointing. However, his musing were cut short as he felt another presence approaching him, making him look back and ignore the god thrashing in his grip.

Out of a break in the trees he saw her approach. Almost a mirror copy of her daughters. Dark and intense brown eyes, tanned skin with dark brown, nearly black hair framing a rather sharp face. Athletic build emphasized in her roman style, Imperial gold armor as her gladius remained primed at her side and shield at the ready.

"Bellona," Jason greeted curtly before looking back to Apollo and wondering how he could fight the approaching goddess and still make sure Apollo didn't escape him.

Luckily it seemed he didn't need to concern himself with such matters as he felt an arrival via shadow travel, one that soon made herself known as she stepped out of the shadow close to him, her lavender eyes nailed to the Roman goddess.

"I'll handle her Jason," Andromeda said as she slowly walked forward, dressed in her own battle clothes similar to her Valkyries with her knives already on hand.

Bellona's eyes shifted over to Andromeda, her posture still guarded as she eyed the winged goddess wearily. It was already known what domains Andy controlled and in other circumstances, seeing a Love goddess fighting in war would have been laughable, but not now. Even if Bellona hadn't seen Andy actually fight and her only former appearance had been once they captured Athena, the power surrounding her along with her obviously trained stance spoke volumes of how dangerous Andromeda actually was.

Still, Jason didn't bother looking as he heard the rush of wind following Andy's charge, or the echoing collision from where the goddesses met. His gaze simply fell on Apollo and not a moment too soon as he saw the golden dagger having formed in Apollo's hand. Sadly he couldn't react in time other than use his free hand to block the knife, watching as the Imperial gold blade pierced through his palm with a splash of his platinum ichor.

He grimaced in pain but didn't let go of Apollo's neck as he looked at the dagger impaled through his left hand before glaring back at Apollo. With a slight shuffle his wings twitched before the top most feather slimmed down. Without any warning his wing curled and lunged forward, impaling Apollo through the forearm and to the tree as the god screamed before Jason tightened his hold choking him off.

' _Percy, you'd better hurry up,'_ he thought as he let the natural lightning in him to coarse out, shocking the god in his grip as he glanced back and up, seeing how darkness and shadows were starting to cover the celestial body…

* * *

 **With Artemis**

Pain.

She thought she knew pain. Millennia of facing vicious monsters, fighting and hunting some of the titans that escaped the first war, then the Giant War. She'd been stabbed, cut, and suffered all manner of broken bones in that time. But that _fire_ , nothing compared to it. She'd only been grazed with it so far, in passing cuts and hits that just barely ate past her suite and contacted her skin before fizzling out every time. Yet she almost screamed in agony every time, only made worse whenever he directly touched her. It was just so _cold_ and yet, it burned in turn as well.

Fear.

That was something she also knew, much to her shame and anger. She'd been scared for herself and little family during those first years after her birth and wondering if Hera would leave them alone or not. She'd feared what would happen to her hundreds of times until she built up the wall of aggression and strength that kept her safe. She even recalled a distant memory and the sheer terror of the time when she had been so new to Olympus and nearly been raped before her own aunt Hestia had come to her aid. Never before had she been so scared and felt so defenseless as Hestia turned that long since dead god into charcoal, showing just why Hestia had been feared during the first war.

And yet that just didn't compare to now. Her heart felt like it was being forced to pump from within a vat of ice water, her entire body shaking and sweating as she didn't even fight to kill anymore. No. Now her every action was simply in the desperate bid to survive even as whatever hope she held slowly wilted away.

That _demon_ wouldn't allow anything else.

Her back skidded along the barren grounds of the moon as her cheek screamed from the pain, feeling both as if it was burning and rapidly numbing as well. Finally she came to a stop and just laid there for a moment, looking out to the endless space and sole floating planet. However she had no time to try and admire the view as she quickly flipped over and got up on shaky legs.

 **Thud. Thud. Thud.**

She could hear his every step as he close in, the very sound taunting her as she looked back and had to bite back a whimper of fear. There was Jackson, in all his dark glory as his eyes remained trained on her. The pressure he was giving off was suffocating, making it hard for her to even breath and was now even starting to create a pressure dip around him. His every simple step crushed the ground beneath him, the loose rocks and pebbles being pulverized from his overwhelming power. Her every fight or flight instinct was screaming at her but sadly, flight wasn't possible, she'd already tried but ran into a barrier she had no hope of breaking.

So that left fight with everything she possibly had.

And she did just that, aiming her bow on him and letting loose without another word. In seconds dozens of silvery bolts were already on top of him, each with enough explosive power to level entire city blocks. But this wasn't like before. He knew what they were, what they could do … and how to respond to it. With both swords drawn he moved forward, his casual walk turning into a near sprint even as he swung. She watched as he danced in and out of the arrows, seamlessly _cutting_ through them or dodging by just the smallest margins as he rapidly approached her.

Her firing got desperate as she backpedaled but he just got faster, moving with such speed that her eyes could only make out shadowed after-images. Then, from within the salvo he paused, just long enough for her to see his face. She saw that smirk. The next moment his movement speed doubled and he closed the distance between them while she barely managed to fire three more arrows, the last of which he cut down the length just as it left her bow.

" **Too slow,** " he chuckled as he knocked her bow off aim before spinning as he kneeled, part of his wing slapping her across the face before she felt the sting of his sword dig into her shin.

She screamed as her nerves ignited, only catching a glimpse of small flecks of black fire coating around the cut before it tapered off leaving a crudely cauterized wound. His chuckled endlessly echoed around her and in her head as desperation took control. With him so close her bow was tossed aside as her knives encased in solid moonlight to make them into swords appeared and she swung.

She was simply outclassed though.

Silver blades clashed with obsidian black ones, colliding and sparking as the backlash of the force cut and crushed the ground around them. She tried to use one blade strike to hide the sister one but each ploy was seen through and countered and as the exchange continued she felt tiny cuts get scored against her. One moment she thought she blocked a chop from the katana and next thing, the sword was already moved again and stabbed by her side and then slashed as it was pulled back, effortlessly cutting into her suite and slicing into the bone.

" **Come on goddess, there has to be more!** " he roared as he stepped back only to jump and bring the katana swinging down.

She brought her swords together in a cross to block, bracing for the pain she knew would come down on her arms and legs going by the monstrous strength of the attack. However, it was a very different pain that met her as she watched, almost too shocked to really register, as the katana sliced through both swords and continued on. It was only by her reflexes that she pulled back in time but it wasn't enough to completely escape as the sword cut into her middle of her collarbone and continued down, trailing down at an angle towards the center before pulling back just at the end of her sternum.

" **AAAHHH!** " she screamed as she threw herself on her back, clawing at the agony erupting along her chest as she watched the flames eat into the suite and her flesh alike for only a few seconds that felt like hours before they faded out. Only with the quick numbing of the pain following allowed her to steady herself enough to check how badly the injury was.

The sight revealed horrified her as she realized the sword had not cut all the way passed the bone of her chest and ribs, possibly intentionally on Percy's part, but still the damage was significant. The silver suite and Celestial bronze scales meshed into it had been cut and burned away to reveal a good portion of her frostbitten skin and cleavage. Several muscles connections for her left pectoral were severed near the sternum, cutting the strength of her left arm by half at least. She could also see a dense layer of fatty tissue meaning her actual breast had been cut into as well, if only slightly.

Realizing that such an attack would not only scar but had mutilated a such a part of her anatomy pushed Artemis further into desperation as she struggled to get up. However, again her instincts saved her as she ducked and spun, strands of cut hair rapidly falling around her thanks to the pressure both were exerting as she looked at him.

The way his eyes narrowed on her, that small and yet predatory smirk with the point of his fangs peeking out made her feel like a trapped rabbit and both knew it. She wasn't thinking anymore, just reacting, and that led her to lash back even if futile. Her right arm, covered in little nicks and cuts sailed forward, the fist brimming with silver divine energy in a wild cross. Her senses pushed to the limit she watched as her fist moved closer to his face, a speck of hope blossoming in her injured chest as she saw the distance closing.

Until … he made eye contact with her.

She saw it all and could do nothing to react in time. The way he tilted his head just enough so her fist just barely grazed his cheek, the skin steaming from the contact of opposing divine power before he turned towards her fist while opening his mouth. She watched as those fangs radiating an icy mist became apparent as he pulled back his lips and opened his mouth further than a human should. She watched in horror as his mouth moved over her armored wrist before he gave her a side-glance and then…

 **Crunch!**

" **AAAAAAHHHHHHH!** " she screamed in agony as those fangs pierced through the armor forged by Hephaestus himself, the bracers cracking and caving as Percy increased the pressure, ichor splattering and dripping out of the broken armor.

However it didn't end there as Percy suddenly pulled back like a dog playing tug of war, hauling her off her feet and up as he flicked his head before viciously bringing it down. She could only copy a ragdoll as she felt the bones in her wrist and forearm snap under the sudden tug, bits of broken celestial bronze flying around as she slammed into the ground with a resounding boom. Still not done she felt another pull but couldn't scream with empty lungs as she was flung away like discarded trash.

It had all happened within a few seconds.

Her body rolled and crashed, every hit only agitating her injuries further until she finally pulled to a stop. Her breathing was scratchy and labored making her cough up ichor. Her body screamed even if she didn't move and she'd lost all feeling below her elbow on the right arm but that was almost a blessing in a way.

 **Thud. Thud. Thud.**

Just hearing him approach made her nearly start to hyperventilate as she slowly turned her head in his direction, seeing him walking so calmly from several hundred meters away, his eyes finding hers in that moment.

Then she blinked as there was a blur of darkness.

And he was standing right before her, towering over her. She didn't even try to suppress the scream of terror as it erupted from her throat but it never made it passed her lips as his left hand clamped around her jaw, his claws digging into her cheeks as the skin started to dull and numb, cracking with the first signs of frostbite as she helplessly thrashed in his grip. He slowly picked her up even as she kicked at his frame but he wouldn't even budge or seem to notice the hits.

Then, she stopped as he started to chuckle, the deep sound echoing with the prominent growl within it, making her shudder in fear as she looked at him. His chuckling then stopped as he looked at her, his feral features smoothing out before he spoke up.

" **Well goddess, you're certainly in a pitiful state if I do say so myself,** " he said while glancing down at her mangled arm as more ichor pooled beneath her. He snorted before looking at her again. " **Normally I'm not the type to go and play with my prey or even talk like this but what can I say? You don't spend fifty years in Tartarus being trained by two of the eldest primordial and not develop a sadistic side which sadly, is all focused on you.** " He then paused as he looked her up and down again, but this time the way he did made her shudder in a new form of fear. " **Now what else to do to you, hmm?** "

He gave her a small grin. It was quick and easy, as if done after saying an innocent joke and meant to relax her. It did no such thing as her struggling started again and as she did so, he started talking again.

" **Jumping the gun there, aren't we? Well, I can't blame you seeing as how we both know how gods are. Insatiable. We just have this near chronic need to fulfill all manner of desires. To take, to conquer, to show our dominion … and to fuck as we please,** " he added with a deep, throaty growl that made her shudder in a completely different way much to her horror as Percy grinned. " **Would you look at that? Even in these circumstances, there is some tiny piece that reacts with that inner animal we all have and well, even I can't deny that you're very attractive but …** " he trailed off before her face was pulled closer as he snarled, his icy blue pupils glowing with a harsh light. " **Even the thought of touching** ** _you_** **of all beings in such a way disgusts me!** "

He finished that with tossing her away but she didn't let herself just fall back like the last time. That had been too close and the new sense of desperation to kill him and adrenaline was giving her a second wind. Instead she rolled with it and managed to fall on her feet, freeing up her hands as she started to condense as much divine power as she could between her arms, uncaring of the mangled, frostbitten sight of her right forearm. The silvery orb started to rapidly form, spinning in itself. The pressure started to build around her as sweat coated her brow and the very ground started to crack beneath her feet.

She glanced up and could see him, having paused in his walk as his eyes zeroed in on the forming attack before he looked to her face and smirked again. Just seeing it turned whatever remained of her earlier fear into anger as she pumped more and more of her power into the veritable bomb she was forming, not caring if she took a good chunk of the moon with it. When her arms were shaking from trying to contain the power she knew it was time and with a last mental command, condensed the orb from being bigger than her head to a ball barely big enough to cover the palm of her left hand.

She clutched onto it and nearly fell over as the sheer density of the power pulled her entire left side down before she grunted as she hefted it like a soft ball about to be pitched. With that she returned her attention to Percy and nearly shrieked when he again appeared right before her … but that wasn't it. She'd made to throw it, irrelevant that she would be in the blast too but then his own right hand lashed forward and clamped down on her left hand … keeping the orb pressed between both their hands. She could only give him a disbelieving glance before the orb started to glow a blinding light and then everything went white…

 **BOOM!**

Pain. She didn't know if she was sent careening above the ground, impacting it, how much time had passed, or even if she'd been blown to pieces. All there was, was pain. Her ears were ringing and her vision constantly came in and out of focus. Then, ever so slowly things started to come into focus and she could see the void above her save for the Earth itself, floating on peacefully. However she then noticed what looked like chunks of rock floating around along with a massive dust cloud. Turning her head she saw that it lead to massive crater possibly a mile away, enormous chunks of broken and steaming rock floating around it or higher off the ground with fissures spreading all around.

But there was something more important that she noticed, or more accurately, no longer noticed. The pressure … it was gone. She extended her senses and nothing! The cold gripping her had vanished. Suddenly, she felt a slight rumbling in her chest before her numbed and cracked lips started to tremble.

" **He … hehe … he-haha …** "

She started to giggle and laugh, sounding broken even to her own ears but she didn't care. He was gone! She'd done it! She could only thank her lucky stars that her own power couldn't harm her as much as it would someone else and now Percy had paid for it with his arrogance! Oh she couldn't wait to return down to Earth and parade the fact before taking her time to rip apart that damn mountain. But for now she would simply laugh and savor her victory, uncaring of the pain she felt or how exhausted she was and it lasted for several minutes…

" **What's so funny?** "

Her laughter stopped dead as she heard that voice, her own heart nearly stopping. Slowly and in disbelief she turned her head back in the direction of the massive dust cloud, now seeing a dark silhouette walking out. Soon Percy was revealed calmly walking as he looked at his own right hand. It looked mangled and was missing several fingers but he didn't look at all bothered before clenching it.

She watched as it cracked and twitched before darkness coated it, writhing and condensing before it dispersed in short order to reveal the same, obsidian black skin and fingers tipped with icy dark blue claws. He opened and closed his fist several times as he kept walking before nodding and turned back to face Artemis, his face completely blank.

And it was that blank face that left her with nothing but terror. Suddenly she tried to flail her arms, to get up, to move, anything! Her right didn't respond and one quick look showed that her right arm was literally falling to pieces, frozen chunks of flesh and broken metal flaking off.

Her right arm was useless.

She then tried to turn over with her left and felt the arm move but didn't feel anything touching her hand. She also looked only to gape, seeing the smoldering stump missing the wrist or hand in question and still dripping some ichor between the charred skin. She looked at Percy again and his continued approach before she started kicking her legs and managed to flip herself onto her stomach before trying to get up.

Her legs gave out before she could get on one knee, too tired and injured to even support her own weight. Uncaring she threw herself forward, inching and pushing with the strength she could as her body dragged across the barren ground. She could feel the wetness trailing down her cheeks along with the choked, uneven breathing, hear her own sniffling as she desperately tried to get away.

"N-no … ple-ease …" she mumbled, her voice having lost the underlying depth and power to mirror her exhaustion.

She wanted to go home, to see her mother, brother, father, she didn't care! Just to be anywhere but with this demon. She could hear him walking closer, already assured of his kill as her heart threatened to burst. Then another step was heard closer than the rest before a foot slammed down on her head.

She cried out as her face met the harsh ground, tears still streaming down her face. Then she felt a hand grip her shoulder before flipping her over only for her to see his face just looking down at her again, not a hint of emotion showing through.

Silence fell on them, only interrupted with her chocked sobs as the last of her own hope withered within her aching chest. Now she knew without a doubt that she was about to die and there wasn't anyone or thing that was going to save her. As the minutes passed her sobs mixed with incoherent babble, her own fear overwhelming what little reason and control she had left. She watched through tears as he slowly dropped to one knee beside her, looking down at her with that frigid gaze before sighing slowly.

" **So this is it huh?** " he asked before looking at his own right hand, slowly opening and closing it. " **I've dreamed of this moment for so long to the point calling it an obsession wouldn't be wrong. And then when it was first noticed that I became literally emotionless to counter losing myself to my own hatred, I got scared. The others knew I was going to kill you one way or another but were all worried about what I might lose along the way.** " He gave a self-depreciating chuckle at that, holding no mirth within it. " **And yet here we are. I'd planned thousands of ways to torture you and make you suffer, maybe even incasing you in Voidice and then leaving you trapped within the shadows of the dark side of the moon, leaving you to wither away for eternity in a place only I can find or reach. But …** " he paused as her sobs got harder just imagining such a fate and almost trying to ask him to just kill her now.

It looked like he got it as he looked at her before sighing again and then continuing. " **… You're already done. I saw it in your eyes just before that explosion and there is no longer a point to keeping you alive for more. I can be sadistic but even I have my limits and I've already spent my anger on you and taken everything you once held dear short of your virtue. Thankfully I am far more in control of myself than some others but regardless, any more is pointless.** "

He then flexed his hand again before he moved it around her head making her whimper as he rested his hand over her face, only her right eye seeing in between the space of his fingers, the burning sting and numbing cold of his touch making her want to cry more. He then looked at her directly in the eyes, his icy pupils glowing softly even as a sad smile marked his lips.

" **Goodbye Artemis, may Lady Chaos keep you** ," he said softly before his hand … closed.

The last thing she heard was her own muffled scream cut short as her skull was crushed and everything went dark…

* * *

He watched as the gory bits of divine flesh and ichor dripped through his fingers, slowly turning into white dust and letting him know that Artemis was well and truly gone. With her passing the moon lost its glow, darkening to the point Percy wondered if it could even be seen from the planet anymore. However it wasn't his concern at the moment. No, that was how he felt as he watched the ashen dust blow away even when there wasn't a single breeze.

His right ear twitched from a random itch but he ignored it for now.

He watched as it faded away and out of sight, even the ichor dissolving into nothing as he remained kneeled down. His breathing was even as he kept looking at the last spot Artemis had been as he checked himself and felt remarkably … empty. His emotions were still there and he was far too aware for it to be another episode for him but with everything said and done concerning the goddess, he was just left as is.

One would think he'd feel jubilant or happy or fulfilled, and any other nonsense considering revenge being served best cold and all that. While maybe true, after the fact there was a grand total of nothing. He hadn't regained anything or taken any prize after the act. He felt calmer knowing his mother and step-father's deaths were avenged while also removing a volatile being that would have presented a threat later on but he wasn't necessarily happy.

He was just … tired.

With that in mind he sighed as he started to shrink down from his thirty foot stature to that of his mortal form, a miasma of darkness flowing off him like spent ash as he reverted to his base form and his manifestation re-sealed itself. It took all of thirty seconds before the process was complete before he inspected himself. His coat of darkness had reformed, covering his body in comforting darkness rather than being another layer of dense, armor-like skin. His wolf features faded away as his fangs decreased to a more appropriate size. His jeans were torn at the bottom but his boots covered the fact and his shirt was still gone though but he had no intention of fixing it at the moment.

Most of his wounds were already healed even his right hand still had a dull ache but that was a given. Considering how much of Artemis' divine energy had been present in and around the wound before he forced it to regenerate far faster than it would have on its own, it wasn't a surprise that his hand had 'divine contamination' and was slowly expelling trace elements of energy left from the late goddess.

Overall he was fine, after all, when you've been trained by the likes of Nyx and Tartarus which included literally having body parts crushed and/or removed as a manner of toughening while tempering a body to withstand the strain of forced regeneration, you learn to keep going regardless of what kind of injuries you take. Didn't mean he didn't curse out both of them during those decades as he was pushed to the absolute limit time and time again.

But now it was done and he just wanted to end the battle still raging near his home and go to bed with his wives. This night was done and with Artemis gone, one of the goals was complete. So as he prepared to shadow travel back the itch he'd felt earlier returned full force making him wince before his eyes widened as he looked at the planet.

It was only now that he realized that itch had been his own charm transmitting a desperate call for help along with the terror of its holder, Cloelia. Narrowing his senses his gaze fell over the continental US, specifically over New York. He released a deep growl as the darkness around him intensified, his mood dropping as anger bubbled up within.

He was tired and ready to turn in but now someone was not only attacking his (possible) charge, but an innocent child no less and that was something he had no mercy for. With a thought he disappeared in a burst of shadow, already prepared to _rip_ apart whoever it might be…

* * *

 **Boom! There you are and I hope everyone enjoyed that fight! I tried my best on it and the action continues with Percy on the warpath after being royally pissed off! Look forward to next time, a pleasure, Jbubu**


	42. Rampage and Desperation

**And we are back! Sorry for the late update but I was stuck on how to proceed with certain events so I was hashing things out. Now its finally here as the action continues!**

 **Note: This story is AU and I am either building on or creating new details and depth to things mentioned in canon but never really explained or mentioned more than a couple of times, or might outright go against what was stated in canon (though never explained why). So, minor spoiler being that two aspects I've decided to build on are mentioned in this chapter. If you have any questions, shoot me a review or PM.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

 **With Annabeth, Seconds after flashing away**

In a golden burst she arrived, sword drawn as her head swiveled around as she scanned the familiar beach, her heart sinking as she took in the sight. Marring the normally pristine beach were all manner of smoking craters and piles upon piles of golden dust along with some stomped plants along with some mortal bodies dressed in mismatched armor of both mythical and mortal origin. Jutting out from surprise outcroppings and hidden latches were all manner of small automated guns, crossbows, and grenade launchers implemented by Leo as the island's own safety defense but it seemed that they were overwhelmed and broken regardless. Even as she looked she could see the sand staining with their blood as the very sea behind her remained unnaturally still.

It didn't paint a pretty sight.

"Cloelia!" she called as she finished her observations in less than three seconds before running up the steps to the villa, her senses pushed outward in order to find anyone present.

"Calypso, Leo, anyone!" she called again as she quickly arrived to the entrance, noting the battered foyer and columns along it with more monster dust and some mortals.

She didn't even care if she accidently stepped on them as she dashed in, having detected two divine signatures within the house … but it was the missing one that worried her most. In less than a minute she moved through the house and passed the halls until she arrived at the entrance to Leo and Calypso's master bedroom, the door completely blown off the hinges. She could feel a smoldering heat coming from inside and smell the stench of burning flesh so she slowly entered, already aware that Leo had to be furious at this point.

Inside was just another horror scene. At least three bodies had become charred husks, all in a direct line from the door opening and burn marks on the opposing wall. Then another two bodies, one dissolving into golden dust while the other was mortal and missing a head with the brains splattering on the wall behind it. At their feet was a smoking shot-gun made of steel and Celestial bronze mix, Leo's mid-range weapon.

Turning away from the grizzly seen she looked to the bed itself and the two occupants, her heart nearly leaping to her throat at the sight. Leo was kneeling on the bad, hair steaming with flecks of fire and his frame almost glowing due to his rage even as he held his sobbing wife. Calypso was in her nighty, the soft garment ripped up and torn exposing her chest with only her panties keeping her modest even if they did look a little stretched. It was only the sight of another body, pants halfway down but underwear still in place and a tiny knife lodged into the shit's throat that gave Annabeth an idea of what happened.

And judging by the positions of the bodies, Leo had arrived before any of the other scum could try a go once their friend had been killed in his attempted rape. As for the others … Leo had been less than merciful and Annabeth's only complaint would be not having the pleasure of skinning them herself. Still, she quickly moved around to the other side of the bed, casually grabbing the other body and tossing it over her shoulder without care before slowly placing a hand on Calypso's shoulder.

The crying goddess started as she looked to Annabeth but relaxed if only slightly before her eyes suddenly widened and she clutched onto Annabeth.

"They took her!" she cried in near hysteria before babbling apologies as she held onto Annabeth for dear life.

"I know," she replied, trying to sound calm even if she was ready to blow herself but she needed answers before she could go looking. "Please Calypso, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened?"

Calypso seemed to catch it as she slowed down from crying and hyperventilating until it was choked sobbing. It was also only now that Annabeth noticed Calypso had a bloody welt at the side of her head.

"They came so quickly. I tried to leave but there was a barrier and they passed the defenses before slaughtering the servants," she starting sobbing harder. "And then they had us both and h-he saw her and just ripped her right out of my arms!" she shouted before breaking down again as Leo held her close.

"Who took her?" Annabeth asked, feeling her nerves fry by the second.

"P-Pallas!" Calypso replied making Annabeth gasp.

The Titan of Warcraft himself!? But, what was he doing here and why? How did he get passed the barriers hiding Ogygia even? However, her thoughts trailed off that and settled on the more important matter of actually finding her daughter. So she refocused on the crying goddess before asking, "Do you know where they took her?"

Calypso looked at her as she turned her head slightly away from her husband's chest before slowly nodding.

"Where?" Annabeth asked urgently.

"H-he said … 'Hurry … or her head will rest beside _that_ blade', then he left with her," she said softly, hiccupping slightly.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where exactly she needed to go as she got up and turned but paused as Leo finally spoke after having calmed himself and his wife.

"You're not going alone are you?" he asked as she straightened up while still holding Calypso to him.

"I can't just wait," she retorted while glancing at him over her shoulder.

"It's a trap!" he returned while moving to stand but Calypso clutched onto him with a whimper.

Both gods looked at the goddess, seeing how the shock was finally setting in after everything that happened in the last several minutes. Seeing Calypso so shaken and knowing just how close they had been to being too late if not for Cloelia's active panic button cooled their tempers even as Annabeth shivered in disgust.

Too close, far too close.

Still Annabeth knew that Calypso need her husband now and as much as Leo tried to play tough and wanting to help her, she knew he needed his wife just as much just to assure himself she was okay.

"I need to go," Annabeth said softly before looking to Calypso. "You get her cleaned and packed to New Rome. This island is compromised and we don't know if more are on the way."

Leo looked like he wanted to argue with her. Maybe reason that she should wait for him to get Calypso safely to New Rome and then head out together but Annabeth knew his heart and mind would stay with his wife. Last she need was him distracted in a fight with a titan like Pallas, someone that even her mother had to hunt for decades, fighting on and off until she finally caught and defeated him a few years before the end of the first Titan War.

"I need to go and get my daughter," she continued before turning her back and leaving without another word, quickly making her way to the beach before flashing away with a clear location in mind.

Her world distorted for all of five seconds, shifting and contorting until she arrived in a new flash, her armored boots crunching on a thin layer of frost that covered the grounds. She didn't pay it much attention though as she immediately expanded her senses and searched for anything close. What she found didn't relax her at all.

She found at least two divine signatures with one being her daughters almost completely overshadowed by the imposing one that she assumed was Pallas himself. Aside from him almost two dozen signatures of monster and mortal origins came apparent, somewhat scattered around Pallas or outside and around the city leading to him. Her head swiveled in the direction and she came upon the sight of Olympus' throne room looming alone from a dark sky.

The entire mountain was eerily silent and cold as slow breezes drifted about. Thin layers of snow dotted about the deserted streets as frost covered windows. A part of her pitied the sight as she walked slowly in the direction of the throne room, her gaze passing over the statues erected in honor of the 'Golden Generation'. She snorted at it, finding it rather ironic now and even a little tacky but she shook her head of those thoughts and continued on her way. With her godly sight she could already make out some guards along the steps and gates into the room. Three telechines, a cyclops, and four mortals dressed in mashes of militaristic black kevlars and such clothes or small segments of Celestial bronze.

Still, it was the weapons that concerned her more, spotting several assault rifles that she was sure had been fitted for divine metal rounds instead of lead along with the traditional weapons of the monsters. But, seeing as they had failed to detect her yet due to the distance of her arrival, she made her move. She swiftly moved until she was hidden in the shadows of one building before focusing, an intense glow surrounding her hands for a few seconds before it faded to reveal her weapon.

In her hands was a rather large yet incredibly thin dagger nearly as long as her forearm with a jagged edge. Made of Celestial bronze and simple leather grip that seemed far too worn for the time she'd had it, and even with the blade being marred with what resembled blood stains, the blade positively radiated a sickening sense of bloodlust.

It was her symbol of power … and she hated it.

Just seeing the weapon made her remember the days of her anger and regret in her choice of forging her symbol of power and divine weapon. You see, much like their own thrones their symbols of power could be influenced to mirror the god … or be forged in an effort for a god to take on an aspect. Thanks for having read so much from her mother's extensive files and documents, she learned some deeply sensitive secrets of not only gods but about the head bastard himself.

From what she gathered, gods did in fact have something akin to DNA and are essentially the most advanced organisms to ever exist. Their power and abilities along with unique properties such as being able to breed with anything, to change their forms, and more importantly, to adapt either slowly or rapidly depending on the case allowed for constant change and to gain or lose new properties while negating the draw backs of inbreeding… mostly, cases like Ares begged to differ.

Upon discovering that, she made a more in depth look at old documents, older than even her own mother and written by one of the elder cyclops, that detailed the idea and creation of the three weapons of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Their divine weapons were meant to amplify their natural ability as well as grant further abilities forged within the weapons themselves. There she learned the distinction between natural symbols and as it was termed 'forced' symbols. As it were, natural symbols of power included their owning god in the forging process, usually with the god in question supplying their blood and focusing their divine energy into the weapon as it's forged.

Though incredulous at first, she read about how the weapons would naturally take a shape of their own which would then be further formed and perfected by the smith working on it though the general shape could be adjusted to the god's comfort such as a blade taking shape and then the smith fashioning it into a specific type of blade. Then, as long as the god kept their mind relatively clear and didn't try to influence the weapon and the abilities they desired, the forged divine symbol would became a natural one.

What made natural divine symbols special was that they often times displayed significant more power than forced counterparts and unlike a forced symbol, only the owning god can use it effectively. Also was the fact that natural symbols could develop unique properties or abilities of their own that could only again be used by their owning god.

Forced symbols on the other hand had extremes, from weapons being radically reshaped to runes being welded in and retaining the properties even if no longer apparent. Sure, the weapons were still powerful but on the flip side, could be used by other divine beings. That was why others could command lighting if they took Zeus' bolt. It was a forced symbol, meant to augment his own possibly low lighting affinity but in the end lacking the power or abilities he was meant to have. It was only thanks to constant exposure that Zeus developed a high enough natural affinity to lightning that allowed for his children to inherit it. Even Poseidon's trident was hinted at having some tampering near the end, and by the small note Annabeth found at the end of the document, meant to further increase his already high water affinity.

Only Hades' helm was completely natural meaning only he knew the true extent of its abilities, something that Annabeth had no intention of finding out for herself. However, that brought her back to looking at her dagger … her natural symbol.

Once upon a time she rationalized with herself, saying that the dagger mirrored her Guerilla domain since it was the only one of the two focused on combat. But that didn't numb the sting as she learned her dagger's abilities it carried and just what it reflected on her. Because the dagger almost seemed to mock her past with what it could do.

For one, when she intended to kill without being seen the dagger would cloak her much like her old hat and only make her visible again upon discovery. The second ability was literally tailor fit for back-stabbers. If she managed to get close enough to an opponent without being noticed until making an attack, the first stab will always land and draw blood regardless of whether the target had the ability to dodge in time. The only difference would be whether the first stab lands in a lethal spot or not but in cases such as those with full armors or curses such as that of Achilles, the dagger _will_ find the vulnerable point.

The allusion to her and what she'd done during the last war wasn't lost on her or just how much those last choices marked her. She may have been the golden standard for demigoddesses, cherished and respected warrior, and married to an Olympian but the dagger said more. That she was also one suited to the role of assassin, to hide in shadows and strike when it suited her best before disappearing.

A ruthless opportunist.

And so she hated that dagger since the first time she held it but she could never will herself to get rid of it even if she did hide it. None knew of its abilities though, not even her mother. However the times to lament and regret about the past was over as she held the dagger in her hands, feeling the sadly familiar coldness and weight of the weapon in hand. Holding it in a reversed grip she swiftly moved from her hiding spot and clung to the shadows as she moved through a city she knew like the back of her hand. Making use of her own divine ability she scaled walls and leapt over roofs while landing with little more than silent taps.

Ambushing enemy strongholds and offing guards and sentries. Now this was a time where her main domain of Guerilla Warfare made her a veritable nightmare. Soon she was on top of two guards, overlooking them from a roof about three stories up. Both were mortal and dressed in Kevlar and dark fatigues with rifles, their gazes set on a passage before them that lead down into the hub of the city and close to the main road.

Intense grey eyes shifting between the two, she silently shifted her shield to hanging on her back much like a turtle shell before she stepped off the ledge. A three story fall was nothing to her but even then she built up plenty of momentum with the added weight of her armor. Sticking out one foot ahead of the other she landed with her heel right on the head of the first mortal.

He couldn't even utter a sound as his body gave under her and his skull met the ground the next moment with a wet crunch and pop from the pressure of her foot but she didn't care about that. No, in that same time her second foot touched on the ground she spun and slashed, her arm nothing but a blur to the mortal that had barely turned to the sound of his ally being crushed, before moving on. As she walked up the passage she faintly heard the gurgling of the second mortal before a dull thud meaning he'd already chocked on his own blood.

She was swift in systematically dispatching any guards patrolling, snapping necks, slitting throats, stabbing hearts. Her eyes glowing with suppressed fury, her golden hair spilling out of her helm and drifting with the cold breezes as blood dripped off her dagger made her out to be the very angel of death. Soon over a dozen corpses were left to rot in the alleyways and corners of Olympus along with generous amounts of monster dust but the wanton carnage did little to calm the anger within.

Every moment she wasted on these fools meant another moment her daughter could be in more danger and Annabeth wasn't betting that Pallas was the patient type. Gritting her teeth as she snuck up behind another one, an older demigod, possibly legacy this time dressed in a badly repaired Imperial gold breastplate over military garb, a rather large Celestial bronze sword held at his side with the point digging into the marble ground.

She would have wondered who it was, which descent was he, or why he was here serving a titan, and much more but that didn't matter at the time. All she cared about was that he'd been part of the party attacking her child and to her that was unforgivable. With an audible snarl she stepped up behind him, one arm wrapping around to cover his mouth and muffling his near shout of surprise before her right moved to plunge her dagger into his heart but she paused.

Why give him such a quick death? He was a demigod traitor and so many swift kills weren't doing anything to express just how she felt. Her thoughts though were broken as he struggled but it was pointless. Her arms had been placed in a way that the crutch of her elbows pinned his upper arms to his sides while his elbows and forearms jostled around. Too bad he obviously couldn't move his blade without two hands judging by how his right arm tensed but only managed to wiggle the sword still partly dug into the ground. Not to mention that she was strong enough to casually crush stone and metals alike.

Wait … crush…

A malicious smile formed on her face as she held onto the struggling demigod as she adjusted her dagger hand to pointing the weapon away before she hugged him around the chest. To an onlooker it would have seemed like an intimate embrace of lovers … save the obvious struggling of one party. Her hold firm she kept her smile as she started to squeeze … and squeeze.

Let it be known that she was a war goddess and as such, had the potential to be cruel and unforgiving like the aspect of war she personified, especially when angered. So, she released that anger, hugging tighter and tighter as she listened to the demigod grunt and thrash in vain before the first popping came. More pops followed with cracks as his arms went limp, a scream muffled as she felt something wet trail over her fingers covering his mouth.

Then the sound of his shabby armor crumpling under her sheer strength, something she carefully monitored to make sure things went nice and slow…

Soon the sound of cracking as constant as screams and coughs were cut off even as she felt a near stream of warm liquid flowed through her fingers covering his mouth. Then, with one last tug of a squeeze he crumpled like a soda can, his armor and chest alike caving in with an even louder pop than anything previous before she finally let go.

The demigod didn't just slump to the ground upon release but fell on top of himself like a stack of cards, his entire chest cavity and spine having been crushed as blood pooled beneath them. Annabeth gave one last dismissive snort at the disposed garbage before moving on, still not feeling sated in her growing bloodlust as her dagger glowed an ominous scarlet that was even starting to bleed through into her eyes.

She felt a red haze start to encroach on her vision, her heart speeding up as a warmth spread, echoes of panicked screams drifting through her ears mixed with pleas of mercy. She knew what was happening. She was connecting and embracing her domain. War was still prevalent in the mortal world, even if not to the scale things like the world wars, Vietnam, and such took. Hidden wars between the powers of the world, gang and turf wars, civil wars and terrorist groups. War was everywhere and steadily growing in violence ever since Ares was faded.

And right now her method of war was the most prevalent. Small and fast operations to disrupt operations and invoke fear or panic, to cripple each other. Lies, black-mail, and back stabbing were the bread and butter of it all.

It was all there, feeding her, slowly driving her into a frenzy as more prayers reached her even beyond the traditional limits of the West. A nice little bonus ever since things like the Fall of Cordoba and even Rhea's appearance in Saint Peter's Square. Before she had managed to hold off on the relatively little prayer and influence she received from those using Guerilla tactics in the West but with the increase, her needs to connect and personify that domain had only increased.

And now with her anger, her last restraints were slipping. A malicious smirk formed on her face as she moved through the narrow allies and dark corners of the abandoned mountain, pinpointing the forces under Pallas control and already planning on how to not only end them, but break and crush them. To make each and every one of them regret ever having been born and thinking they could get away with harming her daughter. So with that in mind she moved, ducking around corners and jumping up and over buildings as she picked off each guard.

She landed behind one mortal sporting only black military fatigues and a few guns before waltzing up to his back and tapped him on the shoulder. He darted around and upon seeing her, jumped with widened eyes, about to shout out in draw attention. That simply wouldn't do. With a serene smile she close in and lashed out, her hand driving up and slamming into his slightly opened jaw.

The sound of his own teeth crushing themselves from her strike was almost funny to her as he dropped to his knees as he clutched as his own shattered jaw but whatever scream he was going to try was cut short as another quick jab to his throat left him a coughing and gagging mess. Looking down at the mortal she glanced to the side before smirked as she grabbed a handgun he'd dropped.

A silenced handgun.

A simple Glock by the looks of it, completely black and shiny. A quick check confirmed Celestial bronze rounds which was a pity. She'd wanted to use them on him. Still, with a shrug she tucked it into the back of her pants before grabbing the mortal's head, his eyes bugging out as he met her now crimson gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe scream, but all that came was a gush of blubbering between blood and tooth bits that stained the front of her armor.

"That'll take forever to clean" she muttered as she looked down at her own breastplate before looking at the mortal.

Her scarlet eyes flashed with malice as she held the sides of his face almost tenderly. She gave him one last easy smile before slamming it back into the wall behind him. Like an egg his head went, blood splattering from his mouth and the back of his crushed skull splashing her as well but she didn't care. Leaving the corpse she moved on. She still detected the small cluster of guards at the entrance to the throne room along with a couple inside the actual room besides Pallas and her daughter.

Growling lowly she skulked about until she climbed one of the smaller temples and had a direct line of sight to the grand doors leading into the throne room. Spotting the same mix of monsters and mortals she moved around the other side of the roof and out of their sight. She knew that she was currently downwind so there wasn't a worry of the cyclops sniffing her out but that didn't mean the situation would remain if she managed to get around them.

However it would be more beneficial to get around them rather than kill them regardless of how much she wanted to, knowing that an ambush on Pallas would only be possible as long as he didn't specifically detect her. He had to know she was already in the city upon her arrival but she'd suppressed her presence by instinct and as long as he didn't see her himself, she was an unknown. An unknown with a weapon made for ambushes.

With that in mind she prepared to scale down and use the back alleys to get to the back of the last cliff leading up to the mountain rather than make use of the steps. However, as she took a step she stumbled as her senses were bombarded along with a freezing pressure fell on her shoulders. Gasping and nearly losing her concentration to hide herself, she paused as her scarlet eyes instantly turned up, widening in disbelief.

It was only now that she really looked up to the sky, not having bothered before as she focused on the task at hand but now was different. A small break in the stormy clouds over Olympus gave her unrestricted sight of the moon. But it wasn't the moon she was familiar with. The light wasn't soft and detached as normal. It wasn't soothing and pretty. Instead the moon was covered in a harsh, almost angry glow as its surface was marred in all sorts of craters and trenches.

But that wasn't what really got her attention. That was solely on the one point of darkness writhing along the surface as tendrils of shadow moved along the moon's surface. And at the center of it all she could feel one unmistakable signature, Percy. But this wasn't like before. Before in the council's throne room they felt overwhelmingly powerful, dwarfing her to terrifying degrees but this was different. Before each had been powerful but at the same time, had a sense of being finite. Like looking at an immense lake with the opposite shore just a thin, hazy line in the distance. This though was like looking out at the sea. It just went on and on making you doubt if there even was another shore to begin with.

' _And that's what Artemis is facing,'_ she thought, for once feeling truly sorry for the goddess even after knowing everything she'd done and how she had it coming. Luckily the pressure withdrew to the point it didn't feel like someone had made her to squat several tons of weight while in a freezer. She had no doubt it was still there and couldn't even imagine how that pressure felt to Artemis herself considering she was the sole target of that presence.

Still, tearing her eyes off the moon she returned her focus to getting around Pallas' guards, her mind having been literally shocked out of her frenzy as her eyes dimmed slightly but still held the faded red color to show her anger was still present. At least she could rest assured that Pallas had definitely had his own senses thrown for the loop with that power surge and her own presence would be easier to hide. Smirking at that she continued on her way, swiftly moving to the back of the last cliff face leading up to the throne room.

Once there she glanced up before placing her shield on her back and her knife in her belt before beginning to scale the cliff side. Silently thanking Chiron for all those years of making her climb that damn lava wall, she made short work of climbing the rock face with little effort until she arrived at the back of the throne room. Making a short check to make sure she was alone and knowing the atmosphere was still saturated with the power of the battle raging on the moon, she took out her symbol of power again before focusing on it. Within moments her formed seemed to become hazy before all but disappearing from all senses as far as she was aware, making her little more than a ghost as she moved silently to one wall with only a large window over a story off the ground.

Will the throne room lacked any other entrances aside from the main gates, she knew about the back room usually used by Zeus connected to the throne room. Spotting her target she took off in a sprint and once she got close used her momentum to run up the wall until she reached the window. With a quick grab and pull she was in, her entrance nearly completely silent. Dropping into the surprisingly sparse room she moved through the darkened hall, her senses stretched out around her as she clung to the dark corners, her ears picking up some noise coming from the main throne room.

Once at the large door leading into the throne from behind Zeus and Hera's thrones, she slowly moved along the outer ring separated by columns that were several dozen feet away from the thrones themselves along with the audience seats still placed behind to make it seem more like a large amphitheater.

"Damn bitch …" she heard a rough voice mutter making her pause and slowly look from around a pillar, her eyes narrowing on the owner of the voice. "… Lost her …"

Standing at a full god form of just over fifteen feet and radiating a familiar bloodlust and power was Pallas, Titanic god of Warcraft. He was dressed in rather modern military fatigues but with a Kevlar vest that seemed to be laced with Celestial Bronze and even an oversized revolver casually strapped at his hip opposite a rather long Greek blade, his jet black hair cropped short with a trimmed beard from what she could see. She couldn't make out his face since he was facing more towards the gates of the throne room on the opposite side but she didn't care much for him. Instead her eyes moved to the very center of the throne room.

There she spotted her daughter and just seeing the state she was in made the goddess grit her teeth as her eyes regained a deep scarlet color. Dressed in slightly torn pajamas was Cloelia, silently crying on her knees with her wrists cuffed to Riptide of all things. The chains were crudely wrapped around the hilt and guard before dropping at the sides which then tied to Cloelia keeping the godling dangerously close to the cursed weapon. What was even worse was that she could clearly see a small bruise on Cloelia's cheek meaning Pallas or one of his men must have struck her.

Promising the worst levels of pain she could for whoever it was, she moved her eyes back to the lowly fuming titan, noting that he had around five guards with him, two being monsters within the gates, two more mortals closer to the Cloelia and finally one mortal soldier dressed a little more decoratively a few feet from the titan, with a star on his chest, Barret on his head, and only a large handgun rather than the assault rifles like the rest.

"Is it not possible to find her again?" the mortal asked and getting a look from the titan hastily added, "sir."

Pallas snorted before eyes narrowing up at the open ceiling, a clear view of the moon as more trenches and craters formed. "No. That goddess' presence is too small and with that upstart flaring his own power, I won't be able to detect her. Buts she's out there, somewhere," he muttered at the end as he clenched his fists before his attention shifted to Cloelia as the godling sniffled, her chains rattling slightly. "Besides, we have what she wants."

The mortal's gaze fell on her daughter as well before he sniffed in disdain.

"And why again have we taken this child? Was not the original target this Valdez god and his wife?"

"Yes, my little niece Calypso," Pallas agreed as she stepped closer to tower over the terrified godling who looked up at him trembling. "Originally taking her and using her to get Valdez to work for us was the goal but something so much better just dropped in our laps. Even if Valdez already got his wife and Chase came here, now we know where he is rather than with the Olympian army and only a matter of returning to the island later tonight to capture both. As for Chase, capturing her daughter and making use of her is only another boon to us. Now all that's left is capturing the little goddess while Koios captures the other two."

 _'_ _Other two?_ ' Annabeth silently wondered as she slowly crept closer, knife already held in a reversed grip as she eyed Pallas' back.

"But will it truly work?" the mortal persisted as she looked at the godling rather than the enormous titan. "While these other gods you target truly be so foolish as to risk obvious traps?"

Pallas looked at the mortal with a chuckle. "Oh yes. You see, even if Jackson and his lot are admittedly powerful, their weakness is those that are close to them. You'd be surprised how easily they would come running to rescue their own being the weeping hearts they are and once we have them isolated and where we want them, it's only a matter of delivering the final blow."

"And you truly want to face such …" the mortal trailed off as he looked up, his gaze finding the scared moon. "… beings?"

"Scared mortal?" Pallas asked with a sneer, a brief rise in his power making his frame glow a dull gold as the mortal commander paled.

"N-no … just cautious," the commander replied before both paused as the chains holding Cloelia rattled, letting them know that she was pulling at them.

Annabeth also looked, just now noticing that Cloelia was pulling at the chains even as the steel cuffs scratched up her wrists.

"Struggling is pointless little girl," Pallas boomed with a mocking chuckle even as Cloelia persisted without looking at him.

That seemed to annoy the titan more than anything as he growled out, "And yet you continue." He then gestured to one of the guards closest to her daughter, the mortal nodding before lashing out with his gun, the butt end of it striking Cloelia on the side making her gasp and almost fall over as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

Seeing her daughter in such a state nearly drove Annabeth into a renewed frenzy and only thanks to her dagger was the bloodlust radiating off her hidden. However, she had enough of waiting as she took the moment with Pallas clearly distracted to attack. Like a viper she lashed out, sprinting up to Pallas' back as her dagger struck forward with a scarlet haze around it. However it seemed that Pallas' own connection to warfare and trained instincts in detecting bloodlust were enough for him to react to the sudden danger.

With surprising speed he half-way twisted around, his head swiveling around to see her as she appeared like a phantom out of nowhere. He saw the dagger and tried to pull back while making a hasty grab for his sword … but it wasn't enough. She already been too close and initiated the attack, having jumped to make up the difference for their heights. With a mind of its own the dagger tugged forward farther than she would normally be able to reach, already honed in on its target.

Both watched as the dagger drove forward, plunging into Pallas' back around the right side of his mid-back, mincing past his Kevlar and splattering with ichor as the titan roared in pain. She clicked her teeth though knowing that while serious, it wasn't a fatal blow for someone of Pallas' endurance. Still, she wasn't one to be deterred as she pulled the dagger back and kept moving while Pallas' flailed back from the surprise and pain, her eyes narrowing on the two mortals standing by her daughter.

Her attack had been too sudden and fast for them to properly react and before they could even think of turning their weapons on her daughter, she threw her dagger. It sliced through the air before finding itself buried up to the hilt in the throat of the guard that had struck her daughter while she closed the distance to the other one. The moment she was close she lashed out with a fist to the mortal's chest, feeling as the bones caved under her strength and the body was sent careening back into one of the abandoned thrones.

Without pausing she grabbed the hilt of her dagger and pulled it out of the dying mortal's throat as he crumpled to his knees, spinning around as her senses flared and just managing to block the large sword coming down on her. She grunted under the force as her eyes locked on the surprisingly dark brown eyes of Pallas, the titan's face scrunched in a furious snarl as he looked down at the goddess.

Annabeth was surprised how quick he'd already recovered from her blow and she could hear the guards outside yelling as they ran in with the sounds of combat but she could only direct her attention to Pallas marking him as the biggest threat.

"Mama!" she heard the happy cry from behind her but couldn't turn to respond, even she heard the clinking of Cloelia's chains.

"Chase," Pallas growled as he looked down at her, trying to push her back further but she held her ground well enough.

"I'm going to make you pay for taking my daughter," she replied as her frame started to glow gold and her stature grew.

Within moments she was went from mortal size to topping off at nearly thirteen feet proving she was likely the most powerful of the minor Olympian gods. Still, she knew even like this it wouldn't be enough to match Pallas. Not to mention she could see the mortals and monsters alike already closing in around them, making her internally curse. Ideally she would have grabbed Cloelia and flashed out before Pallas could have recovered but it seemed that things just weren't going to go her way as she felt a barrier go up seconds after having attacked him.

Still, gritting her teeth she suddenly let up and stepped to the side as Pallas lurched forward off balance. Using it to her advantage she lashed out with a hard kick, nailing the titan in the ribs and forcing him several meters back before she pulled her shield off her back while jumping in front of Cloelia. Not a moment too soon too as immediately the sound of bullets colliding with her shield echoed throughout the throne room as she hunkered down in front of her daughter. Taking the chance she glanced back and locked eyes with her daughter, internally cringing when she noticed her daughter flinch at seeing her currently scarlet eyes after having already looked at the dead guard close to them.

"It'll be okay sweetie," she said, trying to sound far more confident that she truly was.

Whether Cloelia fully believed her words or not she didn't know as she returned her attention to the battle as the guns trailed off, risking a peak over her shield to see the three mortals with guns reloading while Pallas glowered from just behind them, his oversized blade in hand as ichor slowly pooled at his right side. She also noticed the commander he'd been speaking to before was off further to the side and resting a palm again a glowing rune on the floor. Detecting the energy of the barrier flowing around her she could tell he was the one who activated it, likely after gaining the ability to through a blessing from Pallas himself. There was also a smaller one around the mortal himself meaning she couldn't get to him and kill him to bring down the entire barrier for her escape.

Still, knowing she wasn't about to get better opportunity she glanced back at Cloelia, her daughter having stopped crying as she looked at her mother's back.

"Sweetie, I need you to look away and keep your eyes closed okay," she said firmly, hoping that her daughter would understand the gravity of the situation and not wanting her to witness any more if possible.

It only took a moment before Cloelia gave a shaky nod and then closed her eyes. Seeing this Annabeth nodded to herself before returning her attention to the mortals that were just finished reloading but that didn't matter. Pallas' biggest error had been using mortals and monsters to fight while the only one whose safety she was concerned about was divine like her. So with that her body flashed a brilliant gold as she suddenly stood, the mortal soldiers having just looked at her as they'd aimed unable to look away in time before she ascended.

Her body exploded with divine power as she watched the mortals and monsters alike spontaneously combust for looking at her, turning to ash and golden dust respectively as the glow died out after a few seconds to reveal her divine form. Standing at just over twenty feet tall, her hair billowed in golden waves as it reached her lower back while her eyes looked like glass marbles with a glowing, scarlet center. Her armor had grown to fit and was now like her own symbol of power, showing wear and almost ancient blood stains over the scarlet decorations. Much like Artemis, instead of the ancient battle chitons and tunics she had a black body suite beneath her breastplate, platted skirt, bracers, and grieves. The breastplate itself was smaller, just reaching her lower ribs before ending to allow more range of motion at the cost of exposure to her belly.

Her dagger had grown in length as well, falling more into the short-sword category as a small mask with a skull motive formed around her mouth and cheeks while leaving the top exposed. She simply oozed bloodlust and destruction as her eyes narrowed on the currently smaller titan before she glanced over the mortal still maintaining both barriers, noting that he'd also kept his eyes closed leaving him safe before her attention turned to Pallas. She could tell he'd been surprised by her show of strength, probably writing her off for being a mere minor goddess but she would make him regret that decision.

" **I told you I'd make you pay** ," she growled out as she rushed forward, not wasting a moment for him to assume divine form either.

His eyes widened as he hastily brought up his sword to block her downward blow. His arms almost buckled under her strength as he grit his teeth but she pressed on. Making use of her shield she pulled her dagger back and switched to slamming her shield forward. He grunted as he was pushed back but didn't have time to try for an attack as she slashed at his head. He pulled back just barely in time as the tip of the dagger sliced along his face from cheek to cheek, cutting into his nose as he gave a spluttered cry of pain.

Still, she capitalized on it as she spun with her slash, rearing her back leg up and giving a spinning back kick, nailing him in the gut and sending him careening into one of the abandoned thrones, crushing the already crumbling structure. Annabeth tracked him as she ran at him, knowing she could let up for a moment or else he would jump to his divine form. He'd been arrogant thinking she was like the minor deities he'd seen before. He'd thought that just mortal back up had been enough and didn't do anything when he noticed her assuming her divine form. And now that decision would be his undoing.

As long as the situation remained like this she had the advantage. As long as things remained like this, she could win.

Arriving just as he got up she jumped before slamming her knee down on his gut making him spit up ichor even as she noticed him trying to swing his sword at her. She raised her shield in response but rather than wait for the impact she slammed the shield edge against the sword. Buckling back against the surprising blow he couldn't adjust in time as she jabbed again, this time bashing the shield into his forearm and pinning it down as his side. With his weapon pinned she reared her right arm up with her dagger in a reverse grip before viciously bringing it down on his head.

She almost grinning thinking she'd gotten him but then watched in disbelief as he reacted, his hand lashing out and grabbing her dagger by the blade, stopping it just before it could pierce right through his eyes even as ichor splattered out. Grunting in frustration she put more of her weight into it, slowly forcing his hand down as the dagger kept getting closer to his head. ' _Just a little more,'_ she thought, hoping to finish him as quickly as possible so she could grab her daughter and go but the titan held off.

The fact that he was matching her in strength even while only in his godly form was telling of just how powerful he was but right now it would help him more than simply delaying her. Meeting his eyes she saw the slight panic in them as he realized the same thing she did, felt how he body pinned under her flexed and thrashed to push her dagger back or maybe throw her off but she wasn't budging.

"I will not be done in by the likes of you, bitch!" he bit out through grit teeth even as her dagger cut deeper into the flesh of his hand, inching closer by the second.

" **Believe what you want,** " was her only reply as she leaned farther forward, seeing the tremble in his arm as the dagger lower until it was almost touching his cheek, the blade pulsing scarlet in anticipation of the impending kill.

However, it wasn't meant to be. Within an instance she detected a sudden arrival along with hostility from right behind her forcing her to stop her attack on Pallas as she rolled off him and raised her shield. The collision was telling as she grunted but didn't give as she pushed back against whoever attacked her. Jumping back for some space before checking who'd attacker her, she was shocked to see none other than Phobos and Deimos, dressed in matching blood-red war regalia.

' _But they aren't supposed to be here!_ ' she thought, wondering why weren't the brothers still with the Olympian army unless … she couldn't recall actually seeing them during the attack. Which meant they had been hiding or intentionally not helping, waiting for the moment to betray while at the back of the Olympians. She grit her teeth in fury, scolding herself for not having noticed earlier and making sure to keep eyes on them. Phobos was closer to her with his spear aimed at her while Deimos was closer to Cloelia, his sword drawn and held with his remaining hand. Gritting her teeth it didn't take her long to figure out what was happening. Honestly she wasn't surprised any more that those carrying Ares' linage would happily turn traitors for power or revenge.

" **Deimos, Phobos,** " she growled as her own bloodlust rose along with her anger to the point her frame pulsed scarlet but she didn't move with Cloelia held at sword point.

She only got two smirks back from them while she noted out of the corner of her eye how Pallas was slowly standing up, his own frame pulsing gold. However she got even more worried as more flashes appeared around and other varying minor gods arrived, dressed for battle and she got the feeling not a single one of them was an ally.

Internally she cursed the likes of Zeus and the Olympian council for their arrogance and short sidedness, thinking so many minor gods would stay loyal when being treated as dirt at worst, second-class beings at best. She steeled herself as the tenth minor god arrived, most formed loose ranks behind Phobos and Pallas while looking at her wearily. They all knew in her divine form she was powerful enough to face them if they remained in godly form only, her physical form and power towering over them at almost double the height for some. However, her attention was drawn away from them as Pallas grumbled before speaking up, "I'll admit, you almost had me there Chase. Although, I was not aware of impending aide myself," he said with a glance to Phobos.

"The mortal prayed to me the moment you were attacked. Lord Koios is also wondering where you were since he has met unexpected resistance at the other target," he replied even as his faded red eyes remained pinned to Annabeth. "But now when can handle the bitch and move on before you anger Lord Koios further with your unplanned delay," he added shooting a warning glance to the titan.

Pallas growled lowly at that before stepping forward. "Be that as it may you shall wait and do NOT interfere!"

Before Phobos or any others could offer any protest Pallas' frame exploded in a familiar flash of gold making several look away from the intensity of it. Annabeth felt the atmosphere get heavy as malice permeated the air and within it all she heard her daughter's alarmed cry. Squinting her eyes as the glow died down, she was met with a thirty foot titan dressed in armor forged of Celestial bronze and modern iron to form interlocking plates around his core rather than the traditional single breastplate and stomach guard

With additional guards over his shoulders and thighs along with the full helm left very little of the titan's body exposed and even more telling was the sword in his hands. Even if shaped like the standard xiphos the sword was far longer and thinner with the extended hilt needing a constant two-handed grip to even maintain a balance leaving Pallas without a shield. Annabeth silently questioned the practicality of such a design. However, she didn't have time to pursue the thought as Pallas exploded forward, rushing her at a surprising speed.

Hastily raising her shield, she buckled to one knee at the sheer power of the blow as she grit her teeth and heard some jeering from the watching gods. Tuning them out she huffed as she tilted her shield to the side, hearing the scrapping of the sword sliding along the metal before she responded with her own attack in turn. Her dagger collided with his armored chest but did little more than scratch it as he scoffed rearing back as he loomed over her with another swing.

She didn't try for a block this time, throwing herself into a roll and back on her feet as his sword sliced not only the ground she been on but formed a cut across the room and far wall as the entire throne room shook. She didn't just sit there and gawk though, knowing that any distractions could mean her life as she rushed forward to meet him.

He almost effortlessly tore the sword from the ground and swung at her but she dropped to a slide on her knees, watching as the bronze blade shaved off a few hairs before she recovered her footing within his guard. Seeing that he lashed out with a sloppy kick, his balance already off thanks to his swing but she barely sidestepped it before seeing her chance. With a flick of her wrist she held her dagger in a reverse grip again before slashing at the back of his leg, cutting at the side of his exposed knee.

He cried out in pain and with a wild flail, nailed her side with an off-kick, punting her back with his monstrous strength to which she rolled back and recovered her footing, if slightly winded from it. Eyes narrowing on each other they rushed each other again, their collisions shaking the room along with the jeers and shouts of the watching gods, her daughter's own cries mixed within them.

Still she couldn't do much more than continue her fight, using her every trick and memory of fighting bigger, stronger opponents to keep Pallas back. It seemed to work for a time as she scored numerous cuts and stabs in his exposed flesh but it did little in the grand scheme as many healed quickly or just weren't serious enough to begin with. Her only saving grace was she could tell he was favoring his left over his injured right when making overhead swings. Still, she wasn't untouched either, sporting one nasty cut at the hip when she jumped too late and at least three broken ribs from a sudden knee to the chest when she'd closed in again.

The fight felt like it just went on and on when in truth only a few minutes had passed, but with their movement and the sheer ferocity of it seemed to stretch everything out. She started to feel a familiar burn in her arms, winced as her body protested under the punishment of his blows, grit her teeth as adrenaline and not only the need to survive but protect her daughter kept her going at full throttle. However it was an uphill battle with a downpour weighing her down as Pallas attacked tirelessly. His style was simple yet brutal, delivering crushing blows quickly while almost seamlessly maneuvering for blocks and following slashes.

She was soon forced into little more than constant dodging and ducking, unable to strike at him while held at a range thanks to his sword and unwilling to step within his guard with her own broken ribs as testament to the risk. She was starting to pant, her hair matted with sweat and ichor from a sudden backhand she had taken to the side of her head. Pallas wasn't looking much worse for wear, only sporting some cuts and one particular stab she'd managed between plates along his side on the right side but his power was still flowing.

They stared off for a few seconds, the other gods having gone surprisingly quiet to the point she could hear the soft sniffles of her daughter. She desperately wanted to get her out of there but with the arrival of more traitors, Annabeth wasn't very optimistic about her chances. However her thoughts were cut short as Pallas rushed her again and she raised her shield as the first collision came, forcing her to one knee as the marble floor shattered beneath her.

 **Clang! Clang! Clang!**

Blow after blow rained down as her feet sunk lower and lower into the ground, her arms shaking as she desperately held up the shield, feeling as the metal started to warp and dent under the unrelenting attack until, with a roar, the heaviest blow came down. Annabeth screamed as she felt her left arm pop, dislocating her shoulder as she fell back.

"Mama!" she heard the terrified cry as her own shield fell to her side.

Before she could even try to stand she felt an armored boot stomp on her right arm, pinning it down with her weapon as she looked up at the covered face, seeing his intense, solid copper eyes looking down at her with satisfaction and even a hint of sadistic glee. The sound of chains being pulled and crying got her attention though as she turned her head to the side to see a heartbreaking sight.

During her fight she had moved closer to the thrones along the edge having destroyed several of the abandoned tethers and the traitors had followed suite to watch, leaving Cloelia at their back with only Deimos still close to her. Her daughter was desperately tugging at Riptide, even going as far as grabbing the sword's hilt directly while constantly glancing at her as tears streamed down her face. Annabeth couldn't help but try and give her a reassuring, yet sad smile before she returned her attention to Pallas, glaring back defiantly even she knew she was caught.

She was not going to allow herself to give in and fight it to the very last moment. Pallas seemed to catch that though as he sneered down at her, hefting his blade again as it gleamed in the low light of the few torches around the room.

" **Proud to the end,** " he muttered as her rested his blade against her left shoulder, the edge pointed in the direction of her neck as if he was planning on swinging his sword like an oversized gulf club, her head being the ball. " **A pity to have to waste such potential but rest assured, your daughter will make up for it after a proper rearing,** " he said, giving a sick smile at the venomous glare that formed on her face. " **That's more like it. Goodbye Chase!** "

With the smile still on his face he raised up the sword to deliver the final blow, the atmosphere suddenly going still as the sword came down in almost slow motion. But within it all, Annabeth heard what sounded like glass shattering all around before there was an explosion of power.

" **MAMAAAA!"**

* * *

 **And I'm stopping right there! Cliffhanger? I think Lord Rick smiles upon me! Let me hear your thoughts! A pleasure, Jbubu**


	43. Consequence

**Welcome back everyone to another chapter! But first, lots of little notes.**

 **FIRST: I'm sorry about the cliffhanger from last chapter. That wasn't intentional and only happened because the chapter got too big and I had to cut it off. That being said, I know things will feel like cliffhangers because a lot is happening at the same time right now.**

 **Second: For those saying I'm dragging it out too long. The war is the ENTIRE story and I knew I was writing for the long haul. Granted, if I hadn't been delayed so much this story would already be done so it feels longer than it is. So please, a little patience. Also, I know not every chapter is going to be big and exciting with plot twists and such but it is necessary so please just try and enjoy the ride.**

 **Third: I seems people are still confused about in regards to power so lets clear that. The primordials have the most power meaning their energy doesn't really run out, that being said, they are limited by how strong their bodies are and the amount they can use at any one time. The big thing about Percy and Co is that they are stronger in their BASE forms meaning the gods need to go into Divine just to push them. But everyone majorly fighting is a god (minor, major, primal) and so their battles are literally capable of ripping apart the terrain around them. Heck, Artemis and Percy's battle covered enough space to devastate all of Alaska.**

 **Percy and Co also don't want to destroy everything around them which is why they hold back so much and are careful about when and where they truly start to fight.**

 **That's all I got for now, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

* * *

 **Annabeth**

The explosion of power and golden glow seemed to save her … if only barely. Pallas' aim was off as his sword bit into her left shoulder and stayed there as she bit her lips to suppress a scream. However she fought through it as she looked to her daughter again, almost gasping at the sight as several of the minor gods shook of their daze from being so close to her daughter including Deimos.

There stood not her daughter but a woman rising to nearly fifteen feet in a fully divine form. Billowing golden and red streaked hair with glowing red eyes surrounded by steely grey likes rubies trapped within iron and skin literally glowing with her divinity. Her clothes though hadn't changed since she lacked domains or divine forged armor leaving her pajamas to stretch to their absolute limits making it look more like skin tight short shorts and a tube top over a rather generous bust, something that it seemed the other gods had noticed judging by their looks.

"Cloelia?" she asked in a hushed whisper, however, what surprised and alarmed Annabeth the most was her daughter's right or more accurately, what she held.

In her right hand was Riptide of all things, the sword having grown with her and radiating a cold mist. But, looking to her hand Annabeth was alarmed to see the skin of Cloelia's right hand rapidly paling with streaks of black and blue slowly rising up passed the wrist like corrupted veins. ' _The curse!_ ' she thought but was still unable to do anything from her position as she watched her daughter before noticing the small bracelet still around her right wrist with a glowing, icy blue wolf pendant that seemed to pulse every few seconds.

" **Get away from my mother!** " was the snarl like shout as the goddess charged in Annabeth's direction but Deimos was still close as he suddenly rushed before her, his own sword at his side.

Cloelia saw it and glared with glowing eyes as she raised Riptide and struck down with it as Deimos made to the block it … the fool. Like Pallas he'd underestimated her. Like Pallas he had remained and looked on as she assumed a divine form and thinking her to be weak, didn't assume one as well. And now he stood in her way thinking he could take her but unlike Pallas, Deimos' decision was immediately apparent and lethal.

With a roar Riptide was brought down as Cloelia suddenly added her second hand to the grip and collided with Deimos' raised blade but the resistance didn't last long. Without both hands Deimos was already weighed down and an audible snap and scream from him was heard as his arm gave out from the goddess' savage blow as the sword continued on. They all watched as Riptide sliced down, pushing Deimos' sword as the blade itself met Deimos' helm and cut through before continuing on. They watched as the gleaming blade minced through the god from crown of the head to his gut, gushing ichor in a near frozen slurry as the god's scream died out with him.

Shocked silence lasted for all of a second as Deimos split in half moments before bursting into golden dust and Cloelia continued on without pause, her eyes set on Pallas even as the titan dwarfed her. However a roar of rage erupted behind her as Phobos, coming out of his own shock, assumed his divine form in a mad frenzy and charged the youngest goddess. Annabeth wasn't sure how but it seemed Cloelia already had the instincts for combat as she stopped and spun in time to block Phobos' spear jab before knocking the weapon aside and returning with a neck-high slash.

Phobos backpedaled out of reach, his own skill and experience shining through even in the frenzy he was in as suddenly Cloelia and Phobos became the center of combat. Both in divine form with Phobos measureing some seventeen feet or so showing he was stronger than Cloelia, one dressed in his armor while Cloelia was little better than naked and yet she wielded a legendary and now cursed blade as if she'd been born with it in her hands.

Annabeth watched in equal parts shock and awe as her daughter managed to hold her own. Every slash and stab was performed with almost practiced ease yet carried an underlying savagery more befitting of war deities as Cloelia pressured the enraged Phobos while the rest watched. A few minutes passed at the back and forth as Cloelia managed to score some cuts along Phobos' arm. However none were deep wounds and every time he would pull back and without hesitation, flare his power around the afflicted area until it literally burst, riding himself of the cursed flesh. Following this left him with several horrid open sores oozing ichor around his arms and legs but while painful, none were life threatening.

However Cloelia was looking progressively worse as she started to pant and tire out as her power fluctuated and her right arm up to the elbow was already an ashy grey with blue and black streaks which made Annabeth wonder how her daughter could even still use that arm. Cloelia herself didn't even seem to be aware of it as she continued on, weaving in and out of every stab by the skin of her teeth while Phobos attacked and attacked, almost foaming at the mouth as he screamed every profanity and curse he knew at her.

Annabeth saw all this and knew she had to act. Cloelia may have jumped to a divine state but it wouldn't last long and with so many other gods around, it was only a matter of time before they decided to attack together and completely overwhelm her. Looking back up at Pallas she could tell he was too interested in the other battle and confident that she was pinned by his sword … underestimating her yet again.

Gritting her teeth she let go of her dagger and then suddenly pulled her arm back, slipping it out from under Pallas' foot as the titan staggered slightly from the sudden loss of balance. As quickly as she could she arched her back and reached to the back of her armored skirt, her thumb and pointer finger wrapping around the currently tiny gun still left even after she'd assumed divine form. Never before had she been so thankful for a god's ability to distort the shape, size, and structure of the objects around them as with just a mental command, the gun grew to size in her hand as she aimed up into one stop that luckily, wasn't covered very well in Pallas' armor.

Pallas' crotch.

 **Bang! Bang! Bang!**

She started unloading just as the titan had looked down only to scream in a mix of shrill agony and murderous outrage as round after round of Celestial bronze blasted into his groin, splattering bits of leather, ichor, and flesh all over her. Overwhelmed with pain, the titan doubled over as he used one hand to reach for his mutilated genitalia but she wasn't giving him any rest. She pulled into a crunch as her knees touched her chest and legs aimed up before kicking as hard as she could and impacting the covered head of the titan with a nice crunch coming from his face as he was sent falling back. She gave a short cry of pain as his sword was torn out of her left shoulder but she still kept moving as she rolled over and got into a crouch.

Pallas' scream had drawn attention to her again and two of the gods were already charging at her as they erupted in golden flashes mid-run, assuming divine form to better match her but she responded with raising the gun yet again on them. A part of her wondered why wasn't she out of rounds but then remembered infinite recharge cartridges that re-summoned used Celestial bronze rounds were actually rather simple to make and a standard addition for the guns Leo made for demigods so it wasn't unbelievable that Pallas his forces had similar. With that in mind she took aim just as the gods were almost on top of her.

 **Bang!**

The first shot was true as one of the god's jerked back as his throat popped like a golden cherry and gurgled as he fell limp and already turning into ashen white dust while his ally kept coming, completely uncaring of his fallen comrade. Annabeth found such gods worse than trash as she glared at the god, rearing to her full height and towering over the other god by several feet. Still, he seemed confident that with her injured arm that she'd unable to fight and his shield was raised in front of his body, covering up to his neck.

What she did next surprised him though.

Turning onto her left side and adjusting her arm she slammed herself into him, giving a short cry as her left arm was violently popped back in. Shaking her head of the sudden sense of vertigo from the pain, she used her newly restored arm to grab the edge of his shield as she jumped, the sudden weight making the god falter forward. Mid-air she used her hold to turn herself over and drive her knee into the back of his head, the ring echoing as the god lost his foot and fell with her landing on his back before making the killing blow.

Without hesitation she placed the tip of the barrel at the back of his neck as he groaned and unloaded once again, each shot blasting apart the back of his neck as he thrashed under her before going still and beginning to dissolve into ashen white dust.

Another faded god.

Still, it wasn't time to slow down as she felt more of the gods assuming divine form so she jumped forward into a roll, recovering her dagger in her left hand as she spun around to see the last eight other minor gods all in divine form as Phobos and Cloelia continued to fight just behind them and off to the side. However none of the other gods where even as big as Phobos, the closest being some fifteen feet and just matching the power Cloelia was putting out right now. Seeing that they were in her way Annabeth growled as she rushed forward, unwilling to let the gods recover properly or form any plan of attack.

" **Form up!** " one ordered as they started to lock shields but Annabeth couldn't care for it.

Instead her eyes shifted to look at the other battle as her daughter cried out only to see Cloelia slam into a broken throne and Phobos advancing on her. Scowling she ran into the hastily formed phalanx before dropping into a slide, her heels slamming into the unprotected feet of one of the gods. He fell with the loss of footing as a break in the phalanx formed and Annabeth took full advantage of it. Kicking up onto her feet she aimed and fired into the sides of the closest gods, the bullets impacting both armor and vulnerable flesh alike as the gods reared back in reflex.

Feeling an attack coming she ducked down as a spear head passed over her before she turned in the direction of the attacker and slashed with her dagger. The god had been too close to dodge and screamed as the dagger cut into part of his helmet and eye, releasing his spear as he clutched at his bleeding face. Making use of the spear Annabeth tossed her dagger at one god and nailing him in the shoulder and grabbed the spear before spinning on a dime as she batted at the closest gods. The gong of spear meeting shields echoed as several gods were knocked over or pushed back.

Seeing the break she rushed passed them as she dropped the spear and ripped her dagger back out of the shoulder of the screaming god as she moved on, uncaring the mayhem left in her wake. Her eyes narrowed on Phobos as the god advanced toward Cloelia, the goddess struggling to get back on her feet after having been slammed into a crumbling throne yet again. Annabeth saw the god getting ready to make another stab forward and knew Cloelia was too shaken to properly block it so she aimed her gun and shot.

The first round hit Phobos' helmet with a resounding clap making the god flinch mid-thrust, missing Cloelia's head by inches. Her second shot hit his exposed shoulder making the god cry out as he turned in her direction but by that point, she was practically on top of him. Without pause she ducked under a sloppy bat of his spear before slamming her shouldered into his armored gut making the god cough up. Then she lashed out with her left and stabbed her knife into his gut, mentally smirking at his agonized scream as the blade plunged through his armor and into the tender flesh of his stomach.

To finish she twisted the weapon before rearing her right hand back, dropping the gun, and sucker punching Phobos right in the jaw. With a satisfying crack he went careening back, her strength sending the god into a short flight across the room and into where his father's throne once rested. Panting in exertion and with the pain throbbing through her injured side she turned and looked down to meet the sight of her daughter. Injured, sweaty, and weakening as the curse spread up to her bicep but alive.

And that was all she cared about.

Annabeth knew they were close to the gates. All she needed to do was grab her daughter and run as fast as possible to get out of the barrier limits. Once done just a moment of flashing was all they needed and they were home free. She could almost cry at the thought as she prepared to grab her daughter, reaching out as she locked eyes with her daughter … only to see her daughter's eyes to glance behind her and widen.

In that moment she realized she made the worst rookie mistake. She took her eyes off the biggest threat. Then, her domain told her everything. She sensed it the sudden attack, felt the hostile intent behind it … and the intended target. Her eyes met those of her daughters for a moment, knowing she was just out if reach to her daughter and trying to say everything she could in that one glance as Annabeth gave her a soft smile before she moved without hesitation.

 **Squelch!**

* * *

 **Cloelia**

She felt the divine blood splatter on her face as a scream died in her dry throat, her eyes widening in disbelief. In morbid synch both goddesses looked down, their gazes falling on the spearhead dripping ichor as it stuck out of her mother's gut.

" **Mo … I …** " she tried to say something, anything but she just couldn't get anything out as she looked back up to her mother's eyes.

She seen the attack coming by chance, looking just passed her mother's shoulder to see as Pallas, on shaky legs, had gotten up and summoned his own spear before hurling it … at her. Her because she was the one down, her because she was weaker and wouldn't have been able to block or dodge in time, her just because it would cause her mother the most pain. She'd seen that look in her mother's eyes, registered the apology and her matured mind had been horrified to realize why.

And then the torrent of emotions flooded as she blamed herself. If she'd defeated or matched Phobos her mother wouldn't have to come to her protection. If Pallas hadn't seen her in the first place than her mother wouldn't even be here to begin with, and if she wasn't born cursed then she would have already been an adult and able to help from the start. But she simply couldn't and that cost her.

 **Squelch!**

She was broken out of her thoughts as her mother jerked forward as another spear, this one piercing her left shoulder, made itself known as her mother gasped and fell to one knee in front of Cloelia, coughing as ichor dripped out between her lips.

" **Momma!** " cried this time, as she managed to push herself on her knees and tried to crawl closer even while still gripping Riptide but the pain flaring in her right leg and side worked against her.

Her mother looked to her again to show she was silently crying as well, her working right arm dropping her dagger as she slowly reached forward. Cloelia sat back on her knees and reached with her left, her right going numb as it continued to hold the cursed blade that seemed to pulse within her grip. Cloelia looked at her mother, the sight burned into her memory as their hands clasped together. Her almost golden hair matted with ichor, her crystal like eyes glowing with an inner scarlet light that conveyed love and in no way blaming her framed by an almost pitch black moon behind her barely visible through the parted clouds and open ceiling.

" **Good riddance Chase,** " she heard Pallas grunt as Cloelia looked passed her mother to see Pallas.

Another spear was hefted in his left hand while he used his right to grip his sword as he used the blade like a crutch, the remaining gods standing closer to him as they glared, covered in all manner of wounds delivered by her mother. Cloelia took it all in within seconds before looking to her mother.

Her mother didn't bother making any motion to respond to him, instead keeping her eyes locked with those of her daughter with the best smile she could. " **Remember Cloelia, mama loves you** ," she said faintly.

Just hearing how frail her mother sounded even if her voice was laced with a familiar warmth broke the young goddess' heart as more tears stared to stream down her face. She shuffled closer on her knees until she was just before her mother, her own chest nearly being nicked by the spear currently jutting out of her mother's gut. She then leaned closer until their foreheads were touching, her mother having moved her hand from holding Cloelia's to cupping her cheek.

"… **I love you too** …" she said softly before she heard Pallas grunt before both closed their eyes, waiting for the spear to hit and knowing it would probably not only run through Annabeth but Cloelia herself as well.

Even then she didn't try to push away from her mother, instead sending another silent prayer to the wolf pendant still pulsing at her wrist. The same pendant that had glowing a near blinding light as she pulled at Riptide before she'd erupted into a divine form. She heard the air part as the spear drew close, felt her budding senses demanding her to move as her survival instincts flared … but she denied them knowing it would only delay it all.

She was alone, weak, and would be at her captor's mercy so why not go out with her mother? However instead of hearing or even feeling the spear hit home, all she felt was a sudden chill around her before she heard a soft shuffling followed immediately by the sharp clang of the spear colliding with something. She heard the shocked gasps that sounded muffled, almost like there was something between herself and the other gods.

Silence then took its hold for all of three seconds before she slowly dared to open one eye, feeling her mother softly stir as she looked as well. Cloelia blinked in confusion as the purest black feathers surrounded her and her mother before they stared moving. She followed them as slowly they pulled back enough to show the enormity of the obsidian wings surrounding them before she gazed along their length, her mouth parting in awe as her head slowly turned around.

Her eyes widened as she gasped along with her mother, both looking up as a figure of pure darkness slowly stood tall from crouching over them, dwarfing them at 30 feet as his wings silently folded at his sides. Eyes of writhing black flame and icy blue pupils looked down at her, betraying no emotion before the darkness pulled back. Like someone surfacing from a pool of ink he appeared, his tanned face revealing itself first before more of his body became apparent. The pure coat of living darkness condensing on his form as he stood tall with two blades tied at the opposite ends of his hips.

Still she recognized him. Even if he looked different to any of the old pictures she'd seen, she could feel the same signature resonating within him as her bracelet, a gift her mother told her he had made specifically for her. Her greatest idol and hero, the godfather she'd wanted to meet for so long had arrived.

Percy was here.

However her moment of awe and elation was cut short as her mother doubled over in a coughing fit, falling into Cloelia's arms as the young goddess looked on in horror. Her mother wasn't just coughing up ichor but there was a sickly green, sludge like substance mixed in.

"Poison," she heard the deep baritone voice speak above her and glance up only to see Percy's eyes looking back down passed her.

She followed his gaze and her eyes alighted on the spears, now noticing a thin liquid dripping off the tips. Horror dawned on her as she realized what was happening as she hastily placed her mother down on her side, gripping the spear shaft with her right hand while placing the other around her mother's wound. Her left started to radiate small bits of divine power as she focused, trying in the simplest way any god could heal others; by simply wishing it so and throwing power at it.

It was the barest minimums allowed by her lack of knowledge or experience but she didn't care as she desperately funneled her power around the wound as she prepared to pull the spear out but couldn't as her mother weakly draped her right hand over Cloelia's and slowly pushed her away. Cloelia looked at her mother in a mix of outrage and disbelief but was only met with a sad smile and a shaking head.

"It's too late sweetie," her mother said softly, already so weak that even her voice lost the echo of power.

Her mother's eyes then shifted to Cloelia's hand, the same had that was slowly turning black with the icy blue veins already running up to Cloelia's shoulder making the young goddess register that she could barely even feel anything from that hand and arm as is. But then her mother's eyes moved on and looked up making Cloelia do the same to meet Percy's gaze as the primordial stood above them.

"Percy …" her mother said softly, her weak voice almost pleading. "… please …"

Cloelia wasn't sure what was passing between them, lost to it as Percy seemed to nod slightly which in turn earned a small smile from her mother as she released a slow breathe.

She then looked to Cloelia again and gestured for her to come closer which she did only to receive a soft kiss on her forehead. Cloelia didn't make a sound as her mother then she closed her eyes as she leaned back, her head resting against the ground with a peaceful smile on her face. Cloelia watched as tears streamed down her cheeks in renewed force, her entire frame shaking as she watched her mother's chest rise one last time.

She watched as her body softly glowed a pure white before beginning to break down into tiny mots of white dust that blew away in a non-existent wind. Silence reigned as Cloelia watched the white dust disappeared before her arms dropped to her sides. Her limps started to tremble along with the shaking of her shoulders as her vision went blurry, her power fluctuating wildly before she felt a gentle touch to her side.

She moved numbly as she looked to see an huge hand as big as her entire upper body curl around her before looking up to see Percy's eyes again. This time his eyes held a sense of sadness … and understanding. Then his thumb moved slowly, gently pressing against her cheeks and wiping away the unending tears. But it seemed that the tender display was the straw that broke the camel's back as she let herself fall against his hand before letting loose…

* * *

 **Pallas**

The titan stood still as he watched, unable to bring himself to move as the other gods stood around him in equal stupor. Did he care for watching a daughter cry over a fallen mother? He couldn't if he tried, having done much worse intentionally millennia ago. To punish, to make examples, to break others, and to even satisfy the sadism any war deity had to them. It didn't matter to him as he watched the goddess cry, wail, and scream into the hand of the primordial standing over her.

But it was the primordial that kept him still.

Pallas was sure the others felt it the moment the dark god had made his sudden and unexpected arrival. The sudden pressure that enveloped them yet seemed to be kept just a hair's breath away from actually coming down and crushing them. The sense of danger that gripped his heart like an icy claw making his every instinct to scream in retreat.

But he simply couldn't.

He knew that he was in the presence of the alpha predator and that any motion to even think of escape would bring him down on them so they remained rooted to the stop. Pallas couldn't even recall that last he took a breath as he watched, internally wincing at the agony still throbbing from his groin. How he hated that goddess and cursed her, knowing he'd been irreparably mutilated unless he planned on reforming but with a new master of the Pit, that would only delay a worse fate. Even worse still was even with silently diverting his raw power to the area, the healing was slow and shallow, and leaving him majorly impaired combat wise.

However he was broken out of his thoughts as he noticed the cries of the goddess had tapered off and watched in slight wonder as the now unconscious goddess slowly shrunk. Less than ten seconds passed before the goddess looked again like a simple godly save for her nearly black arm and torn clothing, easily fitting in the palm of the dark god's hand.

They watched as the hand gently curled up and the dark god slowly stood straight again with the godling safely held close to his chest. With his gaze still on the child and his hair hiding his eyes from them he wordlessly opened his hand at the cursed blade laying on the floor by his feet. Some flinched as the blade spun around and launched itself into his hand handle first, growing to perfectly fit as the blade started to emit a cold mist upon touch.

Silently he held it around and placed it on his back between his wings before letting go as the sword remained before he suddenly looked up. The pressure that had been waiting all but pounced on them as two of the gods immediately fell to their knees while gasping and even Pallas himself almost buckled as he met that gaze. His pupils had narrowed to icy slits as a frozen fury was leveled at them, the entire throne going darker and colder with every second.

Then Jackson flicked his wrist and Pallas felt a barrier pass over them and with it, he felt a new sense of dread take root in his chest. It didn't take long before some of the minor gods started panicking and flashing golden only to remain in the stop. Fear saturated the air as they looked at the dark god who in turn had his eyes directed on the mortal still present. Pallas followed his eyes to see that very mortal brought to his knees, quivering and stuttering as his eyes remained tightly shut but it did nothing for the pressure baring down on him.

Then, with what seemed like a blink, Jackson stood over the mortal with a foot raised. Pallas watched as the primordial brought his foot down and slammed on a small, shell-like barrier flashing to life just over the mortal.

It was useless.

Pallas watched as only five seconds passed before the barrier gave like broken glass, the mortal only managing to look up and open his eyes, forgetting that even looking at Pallas or any of the other minor gods would kill him instantly.

"Ple- **Crunch!** "

The mortal's plea was short as he was crushed underfoot without hesitation, forever left as a red smear on an abandoned floor. Seemingly grounding his foot for the simple fact that he could, the dark god turned his attention on them yet again but this time the desperation of the gods led them to attack.

Four hefted and threw their spears with force comparable to small tank shells, the deadly spears homing in on the primordial only for one of his wings to unfurl and knock all of them away. Jackson himself didn't even twitch as his eyes moved to the gods before he did something that terrified Pallas more.

He snarled.

The very mountain that stood upon rumbled with the primal sound as the darkness thickened at the bloodlust and fury in the dark god's eyes, his fangs growing as wisps of black fire sprang out. Then it started. Slow, deep growls echoed around them, carrying on without end. Then within the darkness something glowed and Pallas felt all his ichor freeze as he realized what it was. An eye, glowing an icy blue simple floating alone in the darkness. Then another and another until dozens of sets formed.

Next Pallas knew there was varying growling all around as he and the other gods looked only to see the eyes move in pairs before wolves bigger than hummers stalking out of the shadows, snarling as the atmosphere got even colder. The pressure that followed their every step, the trace of divinity radiating from marking each as immortal beasts that held no fear of god in their divine forms. And all eyeing them like fresh slabs of meat.

" **My pups have been busy all night** ," spoke the primordial, the snarl in his voice echoing around them as they looked to him again. " **And now you've labeled yourselves as their just rewards,** " he asked, his fangs growing as his eyes flashed before he raised his right hand … and snapped.

That snap was louder than a strike of the Master Bolt in Pallas' view as over a dozen wolves all pounced at once. Like black wraiths they descended as the minor gods around him panicked. Pallas raised his blade to guard himself, silently cursing as his legs wobbled beneath him but he managed to focus enough of his power into them, strengthening them. However none of the wolves approached him and even seemed to ignore him as they attacked.

He watched as the wolves got around any spear thrust or slash, working in pairs to get into the guard of any targeted god. He watched as one was knocked down but before he could get up two sets of jaws clamped down on his opposing shoulders. He listened to the screaming and pleading as both wolves viciously pulled in opposite direction, ichor splattering for over a minute of agony before with a final scream the god was pulled in two before bursting into ashen dust

He was a lucky one.

" **Pallas!** " one screamed as the titan looked, barely seeing the face of Phobos, the god on his back with three wolves ripping into his chest, breastplate and all without showing any signs of stopping.

He looked like he was going to say something more before another wolf appear, its jaws completely clamping over the god's face muffling a scream. Time crawled by as the god was eaten alive before there was a burst of ashen dust signaling the end of another of Ares' sons. Suddenly everything quieted down again and only then did Pallas realize that all the other gods had been killed, leaving him standing alone while surrounded by ichor, dust, and the wolves.

Pallas swiveled his head around, his grip on his sword shaky as he looked at the wolves and daring them to attack but none did. Instead the beasts walked backwards into the shadows and slowly disappearing, their gazes never leaving his until only he was left opposite the dark god. The titan's eyes moved to the dark god and almost flinched at the icy gaze. Seeing it along with the present situation pushed Pallas past any control as his image of calm warrior under any circumstances shattered.

" **What Jackson, is that it!? You slaughter my men and now you think you've won!?** " he bellowed in fury, psyching himself up even if he knew it was pointless. He was a dead man but wasn't about to go out without hurting or maybe even taking the bastard with him. He had a godling to protect after all and Pallas would make full use of it. " **Come Jackson, let's see if you're truly as dangerous as they say!** " he challenged, his entire frame and blade glowing with pent up power.

One strike. One strike to draw the dark god's blood would be good enough for him.

Jackson's eyes merely narrowed but he didn't say a word, carefully holding the godling in his left hand even as his right moved to gripping the hilt of his right blade, the katana. His knees bent slightly as his eyes remained locked on Pallas' form, the very air around him changing as the sense of danger double.

' _Yes, come and fight! You can't protect the child and attack with your all at the same time,'_ he thought as he steeled himself, preparing for his last battle. And in doing so, falling back on an age old strategy that was still effective. Bait and anger the opponent.

" **The bitch already got what she deserved and now you wi-** "

All he did was blink. Before, Jackson had stood before him, child nestled in his left hand and right on the blade. For a moment nothing happened yet Pallas could have sworn that he saw an apparition, a phantom of pure darkness pass him with icy eyes, and then nothing once more.

 **Crack!**

The sound of marble sliding and giving way drew his attention as he turned his head slowly, unable to move anything below his neck as shock took hold. There he saw Jackson's back, standing rigid with his right arm steadily held at his side, the katana pointed out horizontally. Beyond him Pallas watched in disbelief as the entire wall and thrones past him fell, cut in half. Pillars, the wall, thrones … everything was cut with a perfect slash just above Pallas' waist level.

 **Clang!**

The sharp crack of metal striking stone drew Pallas' attention as he looked back at his own blade, his previous disbelief completely surpassed at the sight of his blade. His own sword, his symbol of power, had been _cut_ in two. His mind failed to comprehend, refused to accept what he saw and held. A symbol of power, forged of the greatest metals and constantly strengthened with the power of the owning god were meant to be next to indestructible and yet, his had been broken.

" **You were strong but Chase already crippled you** ," was the damn dark god's words as Pallas tried to turn, this time moving his upper body instead of just his head … until he felt it.

What had been numb before blasted into unrelenting pain that he screamed as ichor suddenly splattered from the middle of his gut. He looked down only for his eyes to widen in horror as his torso _slid_ off his bottom half. Even his arms below mid-forearm fell off with meaty thuds, still gripping the hilt of his broken sword and all the while Jackson's words passed his agonized screams unimpeded.

" **Had you been at full capacity this would have been harder but regardless, you were overall … lacking** ," he said, his tone mocking as Pallas fell over, his top half landing on his back and face turned in the direction of the dark god who in turn had moved around to facing Pallas and slowly walking his way, the katana leisurely held at his side.

For some reason, even through the agony assaulting his mind his eyes drifted to the obsidian weapon. Something about that sword carried a dark omen beyond simple death, rage, and malice but an unrelenting sense of danger and destruction. Even looking at it he could make out a faint, dark distortion along the edge, seemingly parting the very air around it without effort. However, his observation of only one second was ended as his eyes returned to the demon over him, looking into those eyes of writhing black flame.

" **Your disappointing showing aside I'm tired of so much as looking at you so …** " with that he sheathed the blade before aiming his pointer finger down at Pallas as the titan continued to bleed out, his own godly constitution acting more like a curse as it prolonged his suffering rather than letting it end already. " **Goodbye Pallas, may Chaos' judgment and punishment be swift.** "

Without another word a torrent of pitch black fire and blue streaks within it blasted over Pallas, his screams of unparalleled agony rupturing his own vocal cords as the flames ate away at his very essence. His last thoughts through the pain being, ' _Pontus, just what sort of monster have you provoked?'_

* * *

 **Percy**

The primordial watched the remains of the titan as it was destroyed by his fires, his gaze unflinching even as he kept his emotions tightly clasped just beneath the surface as he reigned in his anger. This night had only gotten worse and now he was almost at a loss of what to feel. Watching Chase's sacrifice for her daughter and then watching said daughter break under the grief had hit too close to home for him.

And then was the sense of failure.

Could he have arrived sooner? Could he have changed the outcome if he hadn't been so focused on Artemis and her death at his hands? Could he have saved her? His shook his head of those thoughts knowing it was useless to even think on it now, instead his gaze drifting to the child asleep in his hand, whimpering occasionally as her tiny signature of power wavered dangerously. His eyes narrowed on her arm afflicted by his curse. Even if already removed, the damage done was simply beyond his ability to heal without the risk of causing worse damage himself. He simply wasn't a doctor …but he knew someone that was.

With one last glance around himself he waved his had as a wave of his Voidfire pulsed out around him, destroying everything in its way. Nodding to himself he only imagined his home before he disappeared in a burst of shadow, leaving the abandoned mountain to burn. Then, in a manner of seconds he appeared in another burst of shadow before a familiar clinic belonging to Will. His presence was immediately noticed as he felt several varying signatures of consciousness pass over him to confirm he was back. He also felt the momentary surprise of several as they passed, each having noted his unexpected cargo now carried in his arms thanks to him arriving at moral size.

Without missing a beat he moved through the doors, the bustling attendants and nurses milling around in their duties all pausing at registering who had just walked in. He didn't pay them much attention though as he moved on passed the reception hall and towards the emergency rooms, already feeling one distinct signature all but racing towards him. He stopped just as he felt said presence turn out of an adjacent hall and appear before him, the god's deep blue eyes immediately falling on the godling in his arms.

She was sweating even as she shivered, her skin going pale and clammy as the afflicted arm twitched. No sooner had Will appeared and seen the child did Percy find Cloelia out of his arms and now in Will's as the god sped off to one of his emergency rooms. Percy knew Will would question him later on the godling and what happened but for now the child took precedent.

Percy watched them disappear down the hall and into another room, other nurses called in doubtlessly by Will entering as well before Percy turned away and disappearing in another shadow jump. This time he appeared floating in the night skies above the forest turned battle-field, his wings spread out and softly fluttering in the breeze as his arrival was registered by mortal and divine alike. Even if he couldn't directly see them he knew where each demigod was as they milled around and regrouped with the absence of his wolves.

Still, his visage became icy yet commanding as his fellow primordial each burst from the covers of the trees and flew up around him. Andromeda and Jason were sporting small cuts with Andy even having a busted lip but otherwise okay. Rhea on the other hand had far more prominent injuries including a lengthy cut running the length of her thigh and even an arrow sticking out of her shoulder while practically dripping mortal blood and golden ichor

Seeing his concerned look she shrugged while muttering, "The Amazons are more relentless than I thought."

Knowing she was overall fine allowed him to drop the subject as the entire forest below them began to tremble and shift before they watched as it shrunk. Steadily the trees lowered, seemingly turning to hide in the earth as the demigod army slowly came into view after having pulled together once the biggest distractions had withdrawn. In a manner of minutes the four primordial gods had an unimpeded view of the recovered but shaken army, dozens of minor gods and the remaining Olympians littered throughout looking haggard and grim.

Zeus stood close to Hera, both panting with Zeus' bolt crackling in his grip as he remained at a godly height. Hera was similar but was covered in cuts and bruises, cradling a clearly shattered left arm and bits of a broken shield while her right kept a bone-white grip on her sword while surrounded by her Amazons. Hephaestus was visible further to the back of the gathered army with ranks pulled close. Hermes' own were mixed with the Rangers of Apollo. However there was a noticeable lack of silver armored girls, the few present having lost the near glow symbolizing their allegiance and it was not missed by many. However most of those remnants of the now disbanded Hunt remained close to the Bellona and her Cohort, the goddess sporting numerous cuts after having fought Andromeda.

Percy's eyes kept scanning until they immediately locked onto a pair of deep blue ones separate from all the rest. Apollo sat on his knees, his shoulders rigid and jaw set tight as he remained separate from the army, likely where Jason left him as the sun god looked at him with barely contained fury. Percy didn't break eye contact as he waved his hand as a portal of darkness opened up in the skies just some meters in front of Apollo.

He heard the hundreds of rustles and felt the shift as the army prepared to move but instead went still as a massive silver bow fell out, plowing into the earth beneath it. It didn't take long for the gods and then the mortals to realize just whose bow it was and what its state meant. Without a connection to the god the bow was already showing signs of wear and tear. Numerous chips in the length from blocking Percy's blades were now sporting growing cracks. The silvery metal having lost the lustrous glow and the string was gone.

The final proof to all that Artemis was well and truly dead.

A hushed silence fell over the army as some dropped to their knees in shock, now having been reduced to some 800 or so from having been well over a thousand along with the loss of a third of their minor gods. Crippled moral, heavy losses, and without some of their most dangerous fighters … and now the final offer.

" **Artemis has fallen, Olympians, and the rest of you will be following soon … unless you decided to surrender that is,** " he began, the growl and power of his voice echoing throughout the night as his eyes remained locked on the army before him. " **I've said it once and I'll say it again, we are coming after you and only you. The demigods have no reason to fight us however …** " he trailed off as his eyes scanned over the army as a snarl formed on his face, all the anger and agitation having bubbled up for a moment. " **Next time there will be no holding back or mercy so think carefully demigods. Surrender or turn back, we don't care but this is your last chance, don't waste it.** "

With his part said he looked away and towards his fellow primordial gods, already knowing his words had shaken the already crumbling resolve of the army and he could only hope they finally turned back. There had already been enough losses tonight and he didn't want to continue so he turned and with a mighty flap of his wings, sped away as his fellow gods followed in silence. It would only take a minute to reach the mountain and they now had over a hundred scared demigods to attend to.

They flew close and in silence for all of ten seconds before Jason spoke up, his voice sounding much like Percy felt.

"I need to go," he said crisply making Percy look back to him and noticing the tight grip he had on his blade while the primordial of light continued. "Something or more accurately, someone, is attacking Frank and Hazel."

That got some alarmed looks from all the others including Percy himself. Only now did he berate himself for not having thought of other friends possibly being attacked. After all, he knew Cloelia had been on Ogygia with Calypso so who was to say others weren't in a similar situation. He paused in his flight as he was about to offer to join him but a raised hand from Jason cut him off.

"Don't worry I set my own protections and they are holding strong," he explained making the others visibly relax somewhat before they noticed the cracking of white lighting in Jason's wings as he continued, "However, that doesn't mean I'm just going to stand by and I've waited long enough as is. So it's time to deal with it **personally** ," Jason all but snarled before he disappeared in a burst of light.

Percy could barely feel sorry for the fools about to suffer the god's wrath. Still, with a sigh and look at his wives he turned back towards the mountain, wanting nothing more than to rest and put this day behind him until he remembered a key detail.

How was he going to tell Athena about Cloelia and Annabeth?

* * *

 **And there we are. I know some will be disappointed but I always planned for Annabeth to die in this one. Sorry to those that hoped otherwise but forward we must go! Also, you'll notice I never mentioned what abilities Percy's swords have, any guesses?**

 **Hope everyone enjoyed and let me hear your thoughts!**


	44. The Pains of Loss

**Yo! I AM ALIVE!**

 **Been forever, I know, but there is a reason for that.**

 **To not drag it on forever, the long story short is that around Thanksgiving I had a medical emergency that I had purposely put off in favor of not screwing over the holidays for my family. Call me an idiot all you want but my best bud already chewed me out for that decision considering said medical emergency led to me being hospitalized and having a doctor blatantly telling me she was surprised I was alive. You see, I suffered from what is known as a Spontaneous Pnuemothorax' which basically means by lung popped and partially collapsed or in my case, a complete collapse of my right lung.**

 **Imagine feeling like someone set off a firecracker in your chest and all your nerves are flaring with a series of muscle spasms completely locking you up as you rapidly loose control of your breathing and feel like no matter how hard you try you can't get enough air. I counted my blessings that I was only parked in my car when it happened and I recovered feeling in my right side after about an hour. I then proceeded to play off said injury as an old sport one that I suffered back in high school.**

 **So I went on a family trip to the mountains for a week with essentially one lung. It literally sounded like someone trying to inflate a broken** **balloon underwater every time I inhaled and most people feel so much pain while trying to breath that they can't, beginning to panic and** **hyperventilate, and lead to other complications such as cardiac arrest. My doctor that checked me before all but demanding I get to the ER as quick as possible was a little freaked that even while she told me I was literally walking around with a noose around my neck by heart rate on the monitor never rose.**

 **Apparently I'm as cool as a cucumber when told possibly fatal news.**

 **She even let me drive myself to the ER. The look on the desk ladies' face when I signed myself in for a Pnuemo was morbidly funny and so I got rushed to urgent care and got a mini operation on the spot. To fix a pnuemo they make an incision into the chest and stick a very big needle with a hypodermic needle in you to suck out the excess air trapped in your chest cavity while making you take deep breathes to force your lungs to stretch out. Mind you, considering my lung had been collapsed to the size of a golf ball and left like that for a week, and since they can't put any sort of pain relief meds on the few nerves of the lungs, I could feel every moment of my lung expanding again.**

 **I won't deny that it hurt, I was scared, I panicked when for a moment I couldn't breath as my lung stretched and I did cry later on after the adrenaline of the operation ended. I called several people that matter to me just because I wanted to hear them.**

 **So that led to a hospital stay for over a week followed by being off work for longer and another family trip up north. During all that time I also had writer's block so I didn't write and then when the holidays ended, I was financially under so I've been working my ass off ever since and am recovered again.**

 **So, consistent writing! Yeah! I'm back and hopefully updates will be regular again.**

 **I'm so sorry to all my readers that I left you guys high and dry like that but you can bet your ass I'm carrying this story through!**

 **So please enjoy!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**

* * *

' _Where are they?'_ he thought as a cold sweat began to coat his forehead, the grip of his battle axe tightening to almost bone white as he saw his men try and fail against the damn guardian protecting their target.

It was meant to be simple, pick off the lone target as quickly as possible, overwhelm them and leave before any of the council could appear. With their engagement against the Olympian forces, it should have been simple but Pallas just had to go off on his own. Then to his further annoyance, some of his forces broke off to help because apparently the lured goddess was putting up a better fight than expected.

Even if the forces gone where barely a poultry dozen, they had still been minor gods that could assist here. Instead he'd lost the added power and there had been no communications with Pallas or his forces since. If only Pallas would at least contact them because they wouldn't be able to hold out much longer before one of the council came and—

 **Scrrreeeeech!**

He winced as he jumped and rolled, hearing the ground being torn apart with a crackle of static. He was on his feet again and moving, narrowly ducking around trees and moving up hill as that _thing_ made another pass before turning on a small cluster of mortal mercenaries.

Koios managed to find cover behind a large boulder, breathing heavily as he looked around just in time to see it fly through the mortals, their screams being cut short as they were promptly sliced down or cooked alive by the voltage. A large white blur soon shot out and over before remaining hovering over a hundred meters off the ground, uncaring of the bullets, lances, and bolts sent at it while Koios sent a seething glare at it.

The static dissipated enough to reveal the creature. Barely bigger than a pedestrian truck, it had what resembled a torso and head seemingly made of thunderous clouds. White lightning surged through it and formed a larger body and wings beyond. Overall it looked much like a griffon though the screeching voice was altered with the background of high voltage as its blitzing eyes scanned around the valley that had turned into its battlefield.

' _More like a hunting ground'_ he thought morbidly as he slowly made his way higher up the hill leading to larger cliffs. That thing had not been expected, in fact, he had not considered more than a barrier to be their only obstacle in attacking the Zhangs. Koios now cursed his oversight in regards to the plans of attack. He assumed, a dangerous thing for any tactician, and it was costing him dearly.

He stopped and looked back again, watching as the griffon gave another screech as it dive-bombed a group of cyclops that had approached the targeted house a ways further into the valley. Koios watched as it landed with an explosion of static frying the monsters and rending apart the few that survived with its claws before it took off again.

Just behind it lay the damn home they had been attacking, the walls crackling white as the lightning coursed through it, making it next to unpassable as one unfortunate minor sea god had learned. Their initial attack had been swift and successful, attacking just as one of the Zhangs returned but it had been too close to the home and the other, the wife if he remembered correctly, had managed to haul her unconscious husband into the home before it lit up with its defense.

Barely a minute later that thing appeared from a lightning strike and proceeded to attack with extreme prejudice. Before Koios had boast some 300 or so troops, over 50 being minor sea gods and the rest well equipped mortals and cyclops from Poseidon's own forces which soon bolstered with the additions of Phobos and Deimos once they were sure the Olympians and new protogenoi were well and truly focused on their battles.

It seemed that the numbers had been pointless as the griffon tore through them, moving at such speed that mostly simply could not adjust to. The mortals and cyclops were both too slow to even try and attack when it got close while it obviously avoided being close to any of the gods for longer than necessary with the use of hit-and-run which had seen to over a third of Koios' forces already turned to minced and charred meat.

Even then the gods mostly at his command were quite literally fighting like fish out of water, their movement comparatively sloppy and unused to fighting aerial opponents putting them at a distinct disadvantage. Koios once again cursed both Tyche and that damn council that started it all.

The council that that his own wife joined and now fought for, a thought that never failed to infuriate him. Just how and why she had joined them he wasn't sure but then again, most divine deities have proved themselves to be opportunistic. Lacking in fidelity was another common trait but he tried not to think along such lines, even if they almost whispered within his mind, wondering how Phoebe gained such sudden high standing with the new council.

Regardless he shook his head to clear his thoughts as he watched that creature circle overhead, the now blackened, almost invisible moon catching his eyes for but a moment. He'd noticed it darkening some 10 or so minutes ago and couldn't help but feel a sense of dread watching it. He knew very well what such a thing could mean, felt the sheer power of the demon that had fought there, something that easily surpassed the most he's felt from Pontus or Thalassa as of yet. Just the thought of fighting Jackson chilled him to the core but luckily he was not considered a frontline fighter and was too valuable for Pontus to risk.

Still, he knew time was running out and they needed to get to the Zhangs or else…

And as if prophetic in nature, his worries literally materialized with a thunderous boom as a bolt of white lightning suddenly struck dead center of the valley and only a hundred or so meters away from the targeted house. Koios was forced to cover his eyes at the blinding intensity as the ground shook beneath him before a pressure all but slammed down on him.

His hair stood on end as a near numbing level of static saturated the atmosphere with a thick scent of ozone and undertones of heated copper. It took a few seconds until the white spots in his sight cleared enough for him to see from his vantage point upon the cliff he managed to ascend.

There, standing at the full hundred feet of a primordial was one Jason Grace, his frame wreathed in white static as his eyes glowed like high beams. His sword in hand, the primordial god looked down on the scattered forces before him, then glancing over his shoulder to look at the house still flaring with electricity similar to his own.

Once his gaze returned to Koios' forces the rage on his face was easily recognized, his arm holding his sword rising up. However the action seemed to startle the men out of their shock at his arrival.

"A-Attack!" one of the water deities shouted out as he and his men began to rear back their spears, the mortals around them taking aim and the remains of the cyclopes charging with mangled roars.

They never got the chance.

The massive sword came down without any sort of restraint, searing white as it struck right at the center of the charging monsters. The initial explosion on impact seemed to almost vaporize the closest monsters as the shockwave blasted towards the mortals and gods further back, crushing many and knocking over others.

Grace remained quiet even as he raised the sword again before swinging it across his front as some of the gods managed to throw their spears. It mattered little as a blade of pressure either cut or knocked off the spears and continued on, turning more of Koios' men into mincemeat. Soon cries of horror and agony filled the air as Jason attacked ruthlessly.

A god crushed under foot, another three pierced through the center, the blade cooking them on contact. A force of several hundred mortals and gods meant nothing to the likes of Grace. The bullets didn't even seem to register, none of the gods could seem to strike past Jason's jacket of light, and that lightning creature was still picking off anyone trying to get away, instead corralling them for its master to butcher.

Then, when less than a hundred remained Jason suddenly raised his left, empty hand and balled it into a fist as white lightning crackled off it. Koios could only watch in abject horror as that fist glowed with holy power before Jason slammed the hand into the earth in the direction of men.

An explosion of power in a pulse was released, rushing towards and through the scrapes of Koios' forces and beyond them. Koios could hear them scream, see their silhouettes as they were disintegrated before the light was simply too much forcing Koios to look away. After what felt like an eternity there was only silence remained and Koios slowly looked again.

Gone were his men. Gone was the land and forest that had laid behind them, leaving nothing but a smoldering trench carving all the way to the end of the valley. And standing right before it was Jason with his back to Koios, his blade resting at his side as he took in his own handy work. Koios felt sweat coating his forehead as he looked on, almost too scared to breathe as his frame shook.

He knew his mission had been a failure and his gut was telling him Pallas might have failed as well. After all, if one of the primordial gods had already left their attack on the Olympian forces, who was to say that others hadn't as well. However he was broken from such thoughts as he noticed Grace shift and glance over his shoulders.

That's when Koios felt the pressure baring down on him double as Grace's gaze immediately met his, freezing him in place at the barely contained fury within those glowing eyes. At that moment Koios knew he needed to escape but just before he could think to flash away his instincts flared as he jumped to the side.

Not a moment too soon at that as an enormous fist slammed down where he'd just been, Grace having moved and closed the distance to where Koios was in barely a blink. ' _Chaos damn it all he's faster than he let on!'_ Koios mentally shouted out as he rolled to the shaking earth below him from the wrathful attack. He could only thank his lucky stars that Grace's size made his movement just noticeable enough.

Still he wasn't going to stick around as he jumped off the rapidly crumbling hill. He reached into a pocket in his battle skirt as he landed some three or so stories down with a grunt and kept running, hearing a footfall just barely missing him. With a sense of glee he pulled out his hand to show he had a deep blue pearl in his grip. One similar to the very same pearl Amphitrite and Triton had used back in the mercenary fort.

Within it held a concentrated dose of Pontus' power meant to teleport whoever crushed it, even being able to punch through anti-flashing barriers. Crushing it without hesitation he felt the blue mist envelop him as he ran just as a shadow passed over him and he felt a barrier wash over him. He couldn't help but smirk though, already knowing it was futile. Looking back he saw Grace reaching for him, his hand crackling with white electricity but just as it reached him, he vanished, escaping the wrathful deity…

* * *

 **Jason**

"Fuck!" the primordial snapped as he slammed his fist into the earth, setting off a small earthquake as the lightning crackled off him and fried anything close to him.

He breathed through grit teeth as he desperately tried to reign in his temper, his grip on _Revelation_ going nearly bone white. This night had already been hell for him, for the whole council as well as their enemies. Watching the demigods, many of whom he'd rescued himself, fight and die in that forest, practically throwing their lives away for nothing, had struck him to the core.

Especially those he cut down himself even after he offered them a chance to retreat or surrender.

They weren't monsters. Not some vengeful spirits and creatures filled with the intent to harm simply because it was their nature or sole desire but beings not so different from himself. Fighting for what they believed in or maybe just scared and following what they knew, it didn't matter. In the end they met on opposite sides of the battlefield and someone had to cut down the other, regardless of how much he wished it wasn't so.

Then came Apollo, pushing every bit of Jason's self-control as he kept his attacks at non-lethal, keeping the god in check while waiting for Percy to finish off Artemis. Waiting and hesitating even when he had the possible openings … but then again, a sadistic part of him knew letting the Sun god live longer would be worse than killing him. But even then, he had to remain put and play his part, feeling the attack on Frank and Hazel's home …

' _Frank and Hazel …'_ he thought as he got a better grip and looked back at the home still cloaked in his lightning barrier, his griffon construct flying above it on constant patrol. He shook his head as he rapidly shrunk and dashed to the house in a white blur. Within moments he was at the door and his sword was sheathed on his back before he grabbed the door handle.

His lightning dispersed on his will leaving the home intact as he opened the door, unfortunately letting in the smell of cooked flesh and metal with him. Even worse though was that the house already smelled like blood and charred meat worrying him even more.

"Frank! Hazel!" he called as he moved past the foyer and into their large living room, idly thanking Chaos that the blinds were down along the wall-sized windows and blocking out the view of the carnage outside. Barely a few seconds passed as he reached the hall past the dining room, following the trail of blood that started near the door before he heard the furious stomping of little feet.

"UNCLE JASON!" a set of voices cried before two missiles slammed into his legs and clamped on to him.

He stopped as he looked down in relief at the two little heads.

"Casper! Julie!" Jason shouted in relief as he picked up both of the 4 year olds, hugging them to his chest as they latched onto him.

He couldn't help a tear or two escaping him as he hugged the kids, having hopped that neither were hurt in the attack, especially after seeing the blood. Still, someone had to be injured so he quickly kneeled down and set them on their feet to get a quick look at them.

Jasper took after his mother, having her same dark mocha skin and slighter darker brown hair that spilled in wild curls, framing his small face and surprisingly bright, amber-ish eyes. Julie was more like a mix of Frank and Hazel, with light caramel skin and black hair falling down in loose waves, along with her darker brown eyes and finer features hinting at Asian descent. Both of the twins looked perfectly healthy aside from the puffiness of their eyes and clear tear stains, dressed in matching blue shirts and black shorts though their white socks had spots of blood on them.

Seeing as they weren't in any pain he released another breath of relief before his mind quickly shifted to the other two possibilities for being hurt and asked, "Where's mommy and daddy?"

At the mention both kids started to tear up again before Julie cried, "Daddies hurt!" while Casper pointed back the way they came. Not a moment later Casper bolted back towards the back of the house and where the rooms were while Julie refused to let go of Jason so he quickly scooped her up and followed before picking up Casper as they moved.

It took less than a minute for Jason to arrive to the master suite, his heart practically in his throat as he opened the slightly ajar door as he called, "Frank, Hazel!" and was met with a troubling site. Both of the adults were on the bed, Frank laying back and looking like he was barely conscious, biting onto a thick belt as Hazel got to work. It was then that Jason spotted the source of blood, his eyes locking onto the spot of his left shoulder and arm beyond.

Or at least, the mangled and charred flesh that should have been an arm.

Hazel was tying another, thinner belt around the meeting point of the shoulder to try and lessen the blood loss, her arms soaked in the stuff as her eyes remained narrowed with focus. Without wasting a moment Jason set the kids down and got to work looking for any more damage, willing a thin rope into his hands as he noticed that Frank's left leg looked pretty busted up as well. After tying off around the thigh Jason snapped his fingers to get plenty of bandages and started wrapping up the leg the best he could.

The pair worked in silence as Hazel got to wrapping up the arm any other injuries Frank was sporting as the big man just focused on remaining conscious even as blood dripped into his right eye from a nasty looking cut. Jason could hear the kids sniffling behind them and occasionally asking if their dad will be okay but both adults were too focused to respond at the moment. However, after what seemed like hours when it was only minutes, Jason and Hazel got Frank as bandaged up as they could but Frank also finally blacked out meaning they weren't out of the woods quick.

"Hazel, grab on, we're leaving," Jason said as he moved around the bed to pick up Frank.

Hazel didn't respond, already knowing Jason would not even think about leaving them here. She only nodded, a tenseness to her frame as she was quick to scoop up Jasper and Julie, softly murmuring to them that things would be okay. Jason then picked up Frank easily enough, trying his best to not shake him up before Hazel stepped up to him with the kids and placed a hand on his arm.

"Jasper, Julie, eyes closed he said as gently as he could while still being urgent to which the children listened as they buried their faces in their mother's neck.

With a quick check he made sure none could see him before he teleported them all in a bright flash of golden-white, the world twisting around them for all of three seconds before they were set down. What was once silence within a dark house with the smell charred flesh and debris was now a hall of white and creams, the loud bustle of doctors and nurses as patients were milling about.

Luckily, being who he was, his arrival was instantly noticed as one doctor, a brunette woman by the name of Dr. Malcolms, a mortal mother of roman demigod in fact, raced up to them as she was followed by two nymphs in nurse uniforms.

"Lord Jason," Dr. Malcolms addressed but before she could even bow he raised his hand, holding back an annoyed sigh at the show of respect at the worst of times.

"Now time, I have one for emergency treatment," he said as he started looking for a gurney or anything else to set Frank on.

Seeing how badly injured Frank was, Dr. Malcolms was quick to call for said gurney, one being rolled up within moments with a satyr assistant guiding Jason on how to set Frank as Hazel and the kids watched on. Without another word Frank was wheeled away leaving the rest of the Zhangs with Jason. A few minutes passed in silence, the adrenaline of the night slowly draining as Jason glanced to the kids and noticed that they were barely keeping awake themselves. Almost instinctually he knew it was far too late into the night to be up for them.

However, before he could speak he was interrupted as Hazel finally spoke up.

"Thank Chaos you Jason. If you hadn't arrived when you did … I don't think I could have gotten our supplies and held onto the wounds at the same time," Hazel said with a slight shakiness to her voice as she looked at where they took her husband through, her gaze finding his as her eyes looked a little watery.

"You're welcome …" he said softly as he gently stepped closer and hugged her along with the kids, saying his own silent thanks to Chaos that even if hurt, at least no one had died.

He knew just how jarring it could be to be attacked out of the blue like that and to see someone so dear to you hurt to such a degree. It was a terrible shock at least but he knew Hazel was made of tougher stuff, plus she had to the kids to look after so he released the hug before looking at the tired mother.

"Come on. Frank's well taken care of the kids need to sleep. You too and just standing around here won't do you any good plus you can be back here first thing in the morning if you need to," he said softly.

Glancing down at the kids as they seemed to nod on and off, Hazel smiled faintly as she murmured, "Okay."

With her agreement he nodded as he enveloped the family in his arms again, this time letting them slowly dissipate into soft motes of light and back to the Palace of the Skies…

* * *

 **With Hestia**

The breeze softly grazed her face as she let her senses flare out, feeling with more than just the regular input as the night dragged on, feeling heavy and cool. Her eyes slowly drifted open as her dress was lightly pulled by the changing winds, her wings out and extended in their full glory as she weightlessly floated above their city.

Below she could see the dim lights and the nearly empty streets save for some night patrols carried out by her husband's wolves. Then her eyes trailed beyond, the crimson orbs soon spotting the now empty fields that had been used as an emergency camp for the taken demigods within the Third District. It was mostly empty now with the demigods having been moved to the barracks just outside the Segunda Gate and closest to the city.

Even now she could tell many were asleep but it wasn't restful. It was fitful, with nerves and tension still running high even after the battle that ended hours ago. Turning her gaze she easily spotted the camp of the so called invaders, the Olympian camp looking torn and battered as many remained awake. She could feel just how shaken that divided army was, many barely clinging onto their hope.

It was a bitter irony. The primordial goddess of Hope and yet she watched and waited, counting down as she helped crush the very hope of her enemies and to show them how pointless their struggles were. Sadly, it was a familiar feeling … something that she hadn't even thought about for thousands of years.

She could feel her nails turning into claws as she clenched her fist, memories of screaming, blood, battle, and pleas for mercy echoing in her ears. She shook them off though, knowing now wasn't the time to remember such times. Instead her eyes returned to the city as she allowed her wings to close up and dropped. Her face didn't show any change as she fell with the wind pulling at her, the mountain rapidly approaching her until she finally stretched her wings out again when she was barely a dozen or so feet off the ground.

Her fall was immediately cut off before she gently drifted down the rest of the way, her sandaled feet softly setting on the stone floor before she retracted her wings back into her body. After smoothing out the cresses in her cream dress she began to move, walking into Will's clinic and where her husband waited.

At the thought of Percy she sighed again, feeling conflicted yet again as her thoughts went back just what happened in the time after Percy killed Artemis and then came back to the mountain but more importantly, just _who_ he brought with him. Even now she wasn't sure how to feel, especially not when it unnerved her how close she was to wanting to lash out. Here she was, known as one of the kindest goddesses on the mountain and in their history, and yet, she came so close to wanting to harm someone just because of who they were related to.

The self-disgust upon realizing where her thoughts had been going alone shamed her enough that she almost wanted to slap herself for it. And worst of all, it was knowing that just like her, that child was also the focus of the whirlwind that was undoubtedly Percy's thoughts.

' _And let's not forget about_ that _either,'_ she thought as she took only a single flight of stairs before arriving at the floor her husband was. The clinic was mostly silent at the hour and Hestia idly waved at the attending nurse that was currently at the desk for the floor, not making a sound even as her ears picked out every set of hearts and light breathing of the occupants of the rooms. She passed by, unconsciously radiating a warmth that gently settled some of the more restless patients within their rooms before she finally arrived to door 24.

She stopped just outside, knowing who was inside and wondering just what she was going to do once in and even questioning her own self-control. Any other in her situation would blame her changes, the fact that with her growth in power and assimilating to her natural Sacred Animal changed her. That the new power and instincts added aggression and a possessiveness that wasn't there before.

But that wasn't true.

Hestia wasn't always the kind and sweet goddess known, and later practically forgotten. This anger, these feelings of being nearly irrationally territoral and possessive … they'd always been there if only buried as deep as she could. Her ascension to being a primordial only brought it out to see the light of day once again.

And now those feelings were seeing a godling, just a little child that could practically still be called a toddler, as a possible threat to something that by all means, she really wasn't. But then again, she had to address this sooner or later and her husband needed her. So, with a deep breath she slowly opened the door and walked into the spacious room, her eyes diligently scanning all around as she took everything in.

The room was simple, with a single bed to the left side, a set of seats on either side along with monitors. A far side window that was currently closed and a couch on the same side. An in suite bathroom connected at Hestia's right and next to counters with a sink and other medical appliances along with some patient folders. It was all there but Hestia's eyes were focused on one thing.

Percy was sitting at one of the chairs to the left side, his head leaned down with his hair falling over his eyes, his hands holding up a familiar icy blue wolf pendant. Hestia's eyes softened as they looked at him before she quietly approached and gently took his hands within hers. He slowly looked up at that, his normally bright pupils looking dimmed within the black writhing flames. Her heart clenched at seeing him look so tired and spotting the familiar guilt within them brought her back to the times after the end of the war and the broken hero that so desperately needed someone, anyone to simply be there for him.

So, seeing him like that she quietly moved until she was seated across his lap, one of his arms gently wrapping around her waist as he set his head down against her shoulder. She felt as he took a deep breath and her scent along with it before his frame relaxed if only slightly. Then, taking her eyes off him, her gaze moved to the only other occupant in the room as she looked at the bed.

It was the first time she'd really seen the girl, Cloelia, if she remembered correctly. The blonde looked so small and pale at the moment, her breathing shallow as the monitors beeped steadily. The blanket was only up to about mid-chest and her arms were outside them letting Hestia see her right arm. The entire limb looked like it had been frostbitten, the skin taking on a gray, nearly black coloration with light blues veins and cracks that reached up to her shoulder.

Even with a part of her still being on guard just for the sake of who the girl was born to, Hestia couldn't help but feel some sadness at seeing such obvious damage and wondering just what was going to happen with the girl. Though she wasn't a slouch in terms of medicine and healing, there were still unique sorts of injuries and conditions that were better left to medical experts like Will or Asclepius.

Still, after several minutes of silence Hestia finally returned her attention to her husband as she felt him shift slightly, their gazes meeting before she asked, "How is she doing?"

The question seemed to bring a new weight onto Percy's shoulders as he sighed, his eyes glancing to the sleeping godling before they returned to Hestia as he answered, "As she is now … she's dying."

"…"

Hestia remained silent as she thought over such a short and simple sentence, wondering just how that made her feel. No matter just how ashamed she was, she knew a part of her felt some relief at the thought. She'd slowly grown to hate Annabeth, ever since she found out by accident about her affairs with Apollo before anyone else. Before the demigods even made their trip to New Rome to try and gather the Seven, when times were uncertain but even then Hestia watched as her favorite mortal was pulled along by the heart strings. That hatred had taken permanent root when Chase ran without ever truly coming clean after the war and then seeing just how broken it left Percy.

The years had not done much good other than deepen the feelings as she watched Annabeth become just another Olympian god, distancing from her family and beginning to turn her anger over Apollo's infidelity onto his children though it hadn't quite yet spilled over into any actual actions. But … this last year and the latest efforts of the war, Hestia had been watching Chase and how it was almost like she was rudely awakened from a deep slumber.

Again Hestia was seeing pieces of the demigoddess that once had her respect and approval. She'd watched as Annabeth became a cornerstone of stability and calm for the demigods as others lost themselves in the turmoil that is war, as her new motherly side helped provide a warm shoulder to so many of the young demigods.

That same goddess that willingly came into the literal den of lions in search of safety for her family and all her siblings, knowing that she was at risk. A lot of good truly, even if too late to change Hestia's mind and remove that grudge coupled with the very real threat that Chase was. But now Annabeth was gone and all that truly remained of her was her young daughter, born completely innocent of her mother's sins … and yet Hestia kept seeing Annabeth overlapping her. Luckily hearing Percy take a deep breath broke her from her thoughts as she refocused on him, making her ask him, "You said 'as she is now' … what does that mean exactly?"

Percy looked at her for a moment, as if thinking on how best to say before he finally just went out and said, "There is a possible way to save her."

"… And …?" she persisted, feeling a slight pit of worry forming in her gut.

"… Will thinks … well, he theorizes that the only way to save her is to … adopt her," he said softly as he looked at the sleeping godling, "… He says only a true Blood Adoption can save her…"

"Blood Adoption …" Hestia murmured as the words echoed in her head, her eyes also trailing to the godling.

Blood Adoption, an act only a god could carry out and did just as implied by the term. Something rarely done and often times only with a demigod that renounces their divine ties to one god and become the child of another … but to be done to a godling…

"Could she even survive that?" Hestia asked softly to which Percy gave an unsure shrug, his eyes not moving off the girl. "And why exactly is that the only option?"

"… Her essence has become corrupted," Percy answered as his gaze fell to Cloelia's blackened arm. "When she assumed her divine form, she absorbed some of my power and essence to force the change, damaging her own core and leaving it fractured. As a godling she simply doesn't have a stable existence and with no domain to anchor her, she can't heal on her own."

"… And giving her to Apollo?" Hestia asked softly, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyways.

"A death sentence …" Percy answered with a sigh as his shoulders slouched as Hestia faintly nodded.

She knew that would be the case, especially as they learned more into just what affected divine essence and their own form of DNA. Being what they were, in a sense they were constantly changing and evolving over time with the conditions and environment having the largest affects. Gods that remained in close contact literally developed similar traits or adjustments but, as gods their emotions had very real effects on how they developed and reacted to each other. Two gods could be born as twins and yet, if they truly hated each other, their essences and very blood would harshly reject each other.

Yet, two goods with a good and close relationship, even if not related closely to each other, could share their energy and essence with each other with less risks of causing 'Essence Contamination' since they would align. But a godling needed to be close to a parent to properly develop until stable enough to gain their own domains … something that Cloelia was clearly not. But now she needed an anchor, something that could fill in the cracks and stabilize her which was now limited to two individuals; Percy and Apollo.

But then again, from what Hestia remembered, Apollo wasn't exactly close to Cloelia and with how Apollo hated Percy above all others, especially now, the results would be disastrous. If Apollo transferred any power or blood into Cloelia, his essence could violently reject and attack the contamination left from Percy's power, something that isn't just in Cloelia but becoming a part of her essence as a whole already. And Hestia doubted Apollo could get enough control to suppress his own intent and assimilate with the traces of power rather than try and eradicate it from his daughter, something that would lead to her death.

But Percy could do it. His presence was stronger and could easily anchor Cloelia while slowly repairing her core … but it would mean Percy would become Cloelia's parent. A daughter that at the end of the day would forever connect him to Annabeth even if she was no longer here. And it was this that truly bothered Hestia in regards to doing this but, could she condemn a child just for having on relative she didn't like?

She wasn't sure and that thought scared her. It was disturbingly close to thinking like much of those that she no longer called family, especially the likes of her former siblings that would turn on each other and any of each other's children at the drop of a hat. She shivered at the thought of being anything like them and she felt Percy wrap both his arms around her before hugging her which she took quiet comfort in as she turned enough to lean her forehead against his. Still, to think her hatred of the mother could so easily spill onto her child.

Hatred truly was a twisted, cancerous emotion when left unchecked.

But even then, she counted her blessings that she didn't have to go it alone, otherwise she might make a choice that couldn't be taken back and would leave nothing but regret. Her thoughts aside, the couple breathed in synch as both found solace in the other. They remained silent for several minutes before Hestia spoke, her voice soft as she looked into his eyes, "And … what will you do?"

He stared back in silence for several more minutes, as if searching for the answers through her eyes before replying equally as soft, "… This isn't a decision I can or should make on my own …"

It was an answer that warmed Hestia's heart … and also made a welt of guilt settle in her gut. She was touched at that he would wait for their input for such a decision but at the same time doubted her own position and just what she could decide in the end. Still, seeing as neither were in any state to make such a decision Hestia gently untangled herself from his arms and stood up while taking one of his hands.

He followed along as she tugged him up, the pair looking at Cloelia one last time before Percy walked closer and set down the pendant next to Cloelia's black hand. Then the couple quietly left the room and its sole occupant before walking away in silence. Though Hestia felt her thoughts tossing about as she wondered just what could she decide to do with the godling, the pair moved with a somewhat comfortable quiet, their hands interlocked.

It took them only a few minutes to arrive at the doors leading out and once they stepped out they were welcomed with soothing darkness … or would have been had they not met one face that really had bad timing.

Hestia silently cursed, wondering all the while why the goddess wasn't with her other children, especially after being separated from them for quite some time. But, given the hours of the night most or all of her rescued demigods were likely asleep, whether by their own power or due to the caretakers currently watching over them making them sleep to get some rest. Regardless that left a goddess with highly tuned senses the time to investigate.

Both Percy and Hestia stopped in their tracks as they were met with grey eyes framed by blonde hair that almost made Hestia think that they were seeing ghosts. It was up to debate whether seeing a ghost would have been preferable to finding Athena herself standing before them. She was dressed in a simple white shirt and shorts, looking as domestic and normal as Hestia could ever recall seeing the goddess.

But her eyes told a very different story as she looked at the two primordial gods.

What was once an almost comfortable silence suddenly became a heavy, suffocating thing as Athena looked between the two of them, her sharp eyes searching even as her mouth opened to ask the first question that would only lead to pain.

"Why is Cloelia here?" she asked, her voice carrying an edge that hadn't been there in days since her being on the mountain but also an underlying shakiness. A hint of deep worry with a fear that threatened to overcome the current mask of calmed concern on her face.

Still, Hestia and Percy shared a glance, a dozen thoughts communicated as they looked back to the goddess. How could they answer and if they did, what about the next question that would undoubtedly follow it? However it seemed that Percy, even if usually one to try and spare others pain, wasn't about to beat around the bush.

"She's here because she's in critical condition," Percy said, his voice even and not hinting at his own stressed state that Hestia found him in.

At hearing Athena gasp with clear worry flashing in her eyes both tensed as they could already hear the next question coming.

"And … w-where's Annabeth?" she asked, her entire posture suddenly looking like she was barely restraining a tremble or the urge to run into the hospital to see her granddaughter.

"She's … she's …" Percy tried to say but he also looked shaky as he thought about it, his fists clenching as he looked down before Hestia decided to say it for him.

"She's gone …" she said softly and watched as Athena stepped back as if slapped before her hands came up to her mouth.

She felt her heart clench as she watched as that calm cracked and broke piece by piece as Athena's eyes started to water, her entire frame shaking before she abruptly fell to her knees. Once upon a time such news wouldn't have gotten such a strong reaction. Not the Olympian goddess that had built a wall around her heart and kept everyone at a distance to avoid suffering the brutality that was living in Olympus, especially back in the olden times where a weak woman was consumed without mercy in abuse.

Not now though. Now was the former wild goddess that, after being rejected by her father initially, was taken and raised in Atlantis by Triton alongside Pallas, his daughter and treated like a wild but loved princess. The passionate goddess that wore her heart on her sleeve and fought with her all, that once formed a crush on Poseidon and loved her home under the sea before the tragedy of Pallas' death at Athena's sword before being taken back to Olympus.

Being here had practically returned Athena's emotions that she once buried but in doing so, left her vulnerable. She was a goddess that got to finally connect with her daughter, her favored child and was slowly building into a whole new person that was more than just a tactician and warrior but a living, breathing being that let herself feel once more.

And that being had just taken one of the worst blows a parent could. Learning that their child had just died.

The couple watched sadly as soon Athena's entire body shook as she tried to suppress her own sobs. Hestia didn't even want to think how she would react if she learned Cloelia might be following after her mother soon enough. Such news could break her beyond repair, so the couple remained silent as they watched.

However Hestia noticed some movement and glanced aside to see Medusa having materialized out of shadows, her head swiveling around before she spotted Athena and quickly ran over, dropping to her knees and enveloping the goddess in her arms as Athena truly started to cry. One glance at Percy told Hestia that he'd summoned Medusa just for that, the silence of the night now taking on the heartrending sobs and cries of a devastated mother.

Hestia could feel a stinging in her eyes as she listened, feel the sense of Unity and warmth within Athena dipping as such a key piece was brutally taken from her. One glance at her husband told her hearing and seeing this was affecting Percy too and that was without even considering the Nightmares he'd have to deal with this night, both his own and those of the demigods around the mountain.

Still, she steadied herself as she hugged him, sending one last glance to Medusa as the pseudo-goddess took to comforting her charge, before the primordial pair disappearing in a burst of shadow. A grand total of two seconds later the shadows parted, leaving them back in their room with the House of Protogenoi. Releasing Percy, Hestia stepped back to look at him and what she saw filled her with conflict because she felt two distinct things.

Relief.

Yes … relief. Relief because she could see and feel as the last of Percy's hope for Annabeth, the last sliver buried deep in his heart, was finally fading. If there had ever been anything that brought Hestia's hatred for the goddess to the surface, it was being able to feel that last shred of hope and knowing who left it and why it was there. She was Percy's first love, the girl that was with him through thick and thin, when that innocent boy, ignorant to the terrible world of the gods, was driven head first into it all. She was there, a fellow hero and friend, the lead or guided to him when needed, supported as best she could, and helped save them all.

She'd been everything that Hestia once wished she could have been … and also why Hestia had feared the goddess that came from that heroine.

Because she knew if anyone could have come back into Percy's life even after everything she did … it would have been Chase. Even after all the time in Tartarus, the training, the time to heal and move on, she was something that remained with Percy. It didn't even take Hestia a minute to guess why Pontus would have even gone through such lengths to get to Annabeth.

Because she was a walking, breathing Achilles' heel for Percy.

A weak point that could have been ruthlessly exploited if Pontus had gotten ahold of her and used her as a lure to get Percy alone. Even after all this time, Percy couldn't have brought himself to cut her down or abandon her, especially not when she had a child to go back to. And now that Chase was gone, her husband was safer while also finally letting that part of his past go.

But it also made her sad.

The marriage that she had with him and Hestia was so much more than what mortals could understand. They shared feelings, melded minds, and truly united. Their happiness, sadness, and all other emotions were felt throughout and it clawed at her heart to see Percy like this. But what probably hurt most is that she just didn't know which decision could end this pain. Should she agree and let Percy go through the adoption, burying her own feelings on that matter, something that would only fester and poison their bond? Or should she voice against it, knowing that such an act would stay with Percy forever as they allowed an innocent child to die?

It was all maddening.

Still, she buried those thoughts for now, wanting to do nothing more than comfort her husband and maybe find some rest herself. So she refocused on what was in front of her now as she used her own limited control of the darkness to make Percy's coat dissipate. A snap of her fingers later and both were down to nightwear, Percy's being a simple pair of shorts while Hestia's was panties and baggy shirt.

Taking his hand again she led him to their bed as the pair settled in, facing each other with their faces just a few inches apart. Their gazes remained locked as the silence surrounded them before Hestia leaned closer and lightly kissed him.

"It'll be okay," she said softly as she pulled back before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head to her bosom.

She felt his arms wrap around her back in response as the pair remained close and for several minutes nothing changed … until Hestia felt his form shake ever so slightly. Then came the slight feeling of her shirt getting wet but she didn't feel bothered as she merely hold on, radiating what warmth she could as she held him.

He wasn't just her king and husband but a best friend, a confident, and a pillar of her life just like she was for him. Tomorrow would be a new day and no matter how much pain and bitter choices would come with it, they would face it together. But for now, even with her feelings on that goddess, she couldn't find it in herself to be angry as Percy cried for his first love one last time…

* * *

 **So, how was it!? Been a while and I don't feel this is my strongest chapter but I'm content overall with it. Action tappers for a bit more of developments between characters and showing a little more to the dynamics of the mountain. Some faces new and old appearing but what does it all mean!?**

 **Let me hear your thoughts! A sublime pleasure, Jbubu**


	45. Savior?

**Hello everyone! I live and am kicking! I know, ridiculously long wait for this one and I honestly can't offer excuses but writer's block and real life shit being a hassale at times. As for this chapter, I was really picky about what I wanted to do and go where to the point I re-wrote it 6 times! Hopefully the results are to satisfaction even though I'm iffy about the** **execution.**

 **Again, thank you guys for being here and even reading it, that means the world to me and really brightens my day to know I brought some entertainment to you all! It really is a pleasure writing this.**

 **Thanks, Jbubu**

* * *

 **With Hestia, Next Morning**

* * *

The Lady of Dragons was wide awake at this time, her mind surprisingly clear as she took in the sight before her. She lay comfortable on her bed, head resting on her palm as she watched her husband sleep. The slow rise and fall of his muscled chest with every soft breath, his head turned in her direction looking at peace.

She wished he could always be like this.

The small smile that had been on her face for some time fell into a sad frown, remembering last night and the last dregs of tears that marred his face. A memory of his face, the dull faded green and heartbroken eyes of a spent hero at the end of his rope, it all came to her and she compared it to what was only a few hours ago. _Why him?_ She couldn't just blame the Fates any more, nor the intentional meddling of other gods. And yet, nothing could ever be easy or left well enough alone when it came to her husband.

But he wasn't alone now and she'd be damned if she wasn't there for him every step of the way. With her lips in a firm line she nodded softly to herself before focusing on her husband's sleeping face again. She leaned closer as she brushed some of his wild raven locks to the side and left a small kiss on his forehead.

A content sigh was the response as she pulled back and gently slid out of their bed, the dark satin sheets slipping off almost like water. Once off the bed she turned away and quietly walked to their bathroom and walked in, silently closing the door behind her before her attention turned to the large mirror.

Her own dark hair spilled in lush yet wild curls down to the middle of her back, her crimson eyes sharp and alert as she inspected herself. Her wrinkled shirt made her nose scrunch in distaste before she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

Instantly a roaring blaze of fire erupted around her, the very air steaming and hissing as she stood perfectly comfortable within the miniature inferno for all of five seconds. Then, without preamble it fizzed out, not even an ember or scorch mark left in the wake. And yet, it was Hestia that undergone the signs of change.

Gone was her sleepwear, replaced with a dark red blouse and pitch black jeans that hugged her legs and hips. Black leathered boots reaching up to her calves with the slightest heels paired to a smaller leather jacket left unzipped and her hair now in a more styled curl with some strands framing the sides of her face.

A small nod and she spun about as she walked out of the bathroom, the slightest hints of steam wafting off her form as she stepped back into the cool master bedroom. Her eyes found the sleeping form of her husband again, noting that he'd moved some but didn't seem to be stirring any time soon. The soft smile returned to her face as she quietly left the echoes of his soft snores.

Once out her smile made way for a set narrowed eyes and thinned lips. Right now her husband was getting the rest he needed but that didn't mean she needed to remain idle herself. With that in mind she made quick work of traversing their home, barely registering the silent wind spirits at work cleaning or the presence of other primordial as she passed their rooms.

Soon she was out the doors and walking down the steps leading to a sheer drop and the world below. As she got to the end she didn't pause, boldly stepping as if she expected another step to appear for her but then within the next second another inferno surrounded her before she disappeared.

All but a few seconds passed as her world was nothing but twisting fire and light for her eyes even as she felt exactly where she was going. Then, with another burst of flame she appeared, her heeled boots clacking on the dark marble of her landing as the wails of the damned echoed. She lightly brushed her shoulders as she looked around, the familiar sight of her brother's castle in front of her and the fields of punishment to her back.

She also noted that the two guards, fallen marines this time around, each stood to the sides of the path leading to her brother's home, both taking a knee in respect yet their gazes never left her. She gave a small nod of acknowledgement but otherwise didn't speak as she walked past them. Only the clack of her heeled boots and tormented screams of the damned filled the otherwise silent walk as she ascended the steps leading up her brother's abode.

Occasionally her eyes would stray off the path, idly noting the changes made to the divisions of the lands of the dead as to streamline or update the ways a soul's resting place is determined. Still, her curiosity aside she moved on and was soon at the gates the once imposing castle looming over her and yet was unfazed.

Even back in the olden days she'd always at least been cordial with her gloomy brother and rarely visited but even then, there had always been a feeling of unease to accompany her visits. A sense that she needed to be careful even if she had been capable of defending herself should the need arise.

Not anymore.

She had changed. Grown and evolved past a mere god and unique to the primordial before them. Few things could faze her anymore and even now, she knew in her core that she was by far the most dangerous being currently here. The new part of her, the animalistic side, dared anyone to come and tell her otherwise.

So with that in mind she all but marched forward, past the outer gates and into the halls of her brother's castle. With enough visits she had a detailed mental map and made quick work of moving within the stone halls as she passed ghoulish servants and guards until she turned up against a slightly smaller doorway leading to the throne room. Behind the ornate doors she could feel a familiar presence and one of the ones she was looking for so she strode forward.

She all but marched up against the gates, unbothered as her palm rested against the petrified wood and Stygian iron used in the building. She gave a gentle shove, little more than what one would expect to give a stubborn door with a rusty hinge and yet, the massive doors swung open, nearly slamming the inner walls as she paused, blinking in slight surprise. She'd honestly expected the doors to put a little more resistance than they had … or she needed to get a better grip on just how strong she'd grown. With a light silvery dusting to her cheeks as she barely resisted the reflex to shuffle sheepishly, her crimson eyes soon met the wide-eyed gaze of the queen of the Underworld.

Persephone sat in her godly form, dressed in a simple green chiton as she sat across her throne with her legs kicked over the side. She blinked slowly at Hestia's direction, her hands clenched with a paper and broken pen in them. The stare off lasted all of five seconds before Persephone suddenly gasped as she scrambled off her throne, idly tossing the ruined paper and pen aside, and almost ran to Hestia before dropping to a knee before her.

"L-Lady Hestia, welcome! I'm sorry about not greeting you the moment you arrived but I didn't know you were coming and…"

"Persephone," Hestia cut in as she waved it off, still looking up at the currently 15 foot goddess. "It's okay. I didn't call ahead so don't worry. Also please drop the formality, this is more of a personal visit," she said in comforting voice.

Seeing the relief shine in Persephone's eyes told her she'd been successful as the goddess nodded and shrank down until she was standing in front of Hestia and looking up at her, her shorter stature of some 5'6 compared to Hestia's new 5'10 height without counting her heels.

"Aunty Hesita," Persephone said warmly as she closed in and hugged Hestia, an action she was happy to return. After Persephone pulled back she smiled softly as she asked, "So what are you doing here aunty?"

At the question Hestia sighed as her smile dropped a little. "I need you to take me to Elysium please," she said as she saw Persephone's eyes widen before scrunching in confusion.

"Umm … not that you aren't allowed but, why?" the queen of the dead asked.

"I need to speak to Paul Blofis," was her short answer.

Again Persephone looked at her owlishly but didn't immediately reply as she instead nodded and gestured for Hestia to follow. The pair walked in silence for some moments as they left the castle proper and onto a winding path around the castle towards Persephone's gardens if Hestia remembered correctly. The slight echo of their feet was only accompanied by the wails of tormented growing fainter by the step until Hestia caught Persephone's glance.

Their eyes locked for a moment before Persephone looked away even as she started to speak.

"So … how have things been since the attack?"

Hestia hummed for a moment as she thought about it, remembering the faces of the shocked demigods brought to the city or feeling the very hope wither and break for those within the Olympian forces.

"As well as things can be expected after a battle," Hestia finally answered, her voice almost resigned to the fact. "We took Artemis out of the picture and shook up the Olympians but it's only a matter of time before they regroup."

Persephone didn't comment but simple scrunched her brows in thought as she glanced down, a slight nod to her head before she said lowly, "I would have guessed as much. I saw some of the killed souls … I'm honestly a little surprised some where being personally brought to Elysium by Nico and my husband."

"Surprised?" Hestia asked as she gave her niece a side-glance. "How so? From the start we said the demigods weren't our enemies unless they attacked first and a near majority are even there only on orders from the Olympians. Many did die as heroes thinking they were doing the right thing, especially those that died protecting each other."

"Maybe … but, I guess even then I was expecting a more Olympian response, not forgiveness," Persephone murmured as she glanced down for a moment.

"And we are not Olympians. We don't condemn someone just because of association but the choices they made for themselves and way they did. The goal of the council is to bring change, not endlessly repeat the cycle that has been followed since the first Titans," Hestia said with finality. "Besides, many of those demigods already paid the price with their lives. What would be the point of making them suffer more?"

Her answer was met with silence for a time as Persephone kept her eyes forward, the area around them quickly transitioning to that of one of Persephone's gardens even as their goal slowly came into view. As they walked side by side Hestia looked beyond them to the almost pristine plains and lakes.

This side of the Underworld was dotted with massive crystals growing from the cavernous ceiling, filling it with light. To one side she could see seemingly endless fields of rolling grass and trees, gently drifting in unfelt winds sprinkled with all manner of homes, from small and quaint cottages to massive estates with designs of all cultures and origins.

The peaceful Plains of Elysium. A hero's resting place.

Then, divided by massive mountains, on the other side there was a truly massive lake that could easily be mistaken for a small sea. Dotting within this lake were islands, again of varying sizes and formations, some clearly inhabited while others were not. Boats, ranging from little sail boats to large yachts, calmly sails about.

The Isles of the Blessed. A never ending paradise and resort earned only to the worthiest.

Seeing both made Hestia faintly smile as they got closer and soon, the gateways leading into each came into view. The shining marble gates guarded by two ghouls, their armor just as pristine as they stood at attention. Upon seeing Hestia and Persephone approaching, both saluted before turning towards each other as they slammed their spears down. Moments later the soft tolls of an unseen bell echoed as the gates opened, the large slabs of marble sliding seamlessly with the use of Imperial gold hinges and mechanisms hidden from plain view.

The two goddesses walked past the guards and were met with the hills of long grass as a gentle breeze pulled at their hair. Hestia let out a pleasant sigh as the two walked on, her hands idly trailing over the blades of grass tall enough to reach her fingers. It almost felt like noon with the warmth of the crystalline glow from above but here in the Plains of Elysium, there was no real night and day with the notions of time passing at its own pace in contrast to the rest of the Underworld or the world above.

Glancing to her side she could see the pleasant smile on Persephone's face as random flowers would bloom in her wake. The sight only made the lady of dragons smile more as they walked in comfortable silence. Sometimes they would pass by a hero, some napping within the silence of the fields, other grouped together to do whatever carried their fancy for the day, and even some picnic dates here and there.

All gave warm calls and greetings as the goddesses passed, some outright gawking when they realized just who Hestia was. It seemed that even within the Fields of Rest some gossip and news of the Upper world could be spread.

Soon however the goddess spotted a larger building coming into view. It was of simple design, with one large floor and rows of windows with even a white picket fence around it. Hestia even chuckled a little when she saw a tiny bell placed at the front and top of the roof. Then her eyes found a posted sign next to the door reading 'The Blofis Grade School'.

However, reading that made her smile become a little more somber.

Paul's school for the children within Elysium that died as heroes in some of the worst places around the world, often times because they gave their lives protecting someone else, be it family or dear friends. Kids that never truly had the chance to grow and learn besides enduring the environments they were born or forced into. Young souls scarred in life and tragic deaths. At least here they had the chance to grow or at least, 'grow' in the closest terms a soul could before given the choice if they wished to reincarnate or remain here.

Hestia and Persephone silently made their way to the door and quietly entered, or at least tried to. For all their care, all it took was one uneven and squeaky floorboard under Persephone's sandaled foot to undue their efforts. Instead of silently walking in and watching a class, they were met with nearly two dozen wide and curious eyes, some of the kids gasping as they looked upon the two goddesses.

The silence last all of three seconds before some unknown signal went off as the two were suddenly mobbed by excited children, all manner of questions being asked amongst the general chatter and babble. Through it all Hestia could hear some deep, full-belly laughter that drew her eyes to one Paul Blofis. Salt and pepper hair cut short and well combed along with trimmed beard, remarkably bright blues eyes brimming with mirth as he looked on. Dressed in a buttoned up shirt, dark blazer and matching pants, he looked more like a college professor.

Image aside apparently he wasn't about to end his entertainment as Hestia and Persephone worked to calm the excited children around them but after answering all manner of questions Paul finally decided to intervene with a firm clap. It seemed that this was his usual method as the children immediately tapered off as all eyes turned on him.

It was obvious his was still highly amused as a soft chuckle escaped him before he cleared his throat. "Alright kids, it seems that class ends a little early today—but—let's not forget the homework for next week!"

His announcement was met with a classic chorus of whines and groans that he took in good grace as Hestia smiled all the while. Once it died down he resumed as if it hadn't happened in the first place.

"Now, now, it's only three pages on proper grammar and sentence writing and you can work on it during study hours in class and we'll even have some upperclassmen so feel free to ask for help," he finished just before a small, chiming bell went off. "Ah, right on time."

As he said this the kids gave of excited squeals and yells as they ran to the far wall of the room and the cubies located there, chattering as they packed their bags and ran off in groups. Most waved at the two goddesses as they left which both were happy to return until all of the kids were out before Hestia turned her attention to Paul as he sighed.

"Well, that was certainly a more eventful end to the day than I expected," he said as he gave a short bow. "So, Lady Hestia and Lady Persephone, to what do I owe the pleasure of having two queens visiting my humble little school?"

"Oh Paul, you know you can call me by my given name," Hestia said kindly as she walked up to him and gave him a small hug which he returned while Persephone held to a politely returned curtsy and nod.

"Fine then, I'll keep that in mind," he said after breaking the hug, "Now not that I don't enjoy your visits but I feel this is more than a random stop."

She nodded as her smile dropped slightly as she nodded and she glanced to Persephone. The goddesses held the gaze for all of five seconds before Persephone nodded in turn.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it," she said before giving another curtsy, "A pleasure Paul, auntie." And with that she turned and saw herself out as both Hestia and Paul watched until the door closed behind her.

With the goddess gone the two were left with a moment of silence, Hestia's eyes remained locked on the door before she turned to the sound of Paul moving. She watched him as he straightened a few of the desks before moving to his desk, his hand ghosting over some papers left on it that Hestia noted were titled 'History Quiz'. Still, her eyes left the papers and rose to find those of Paul on her.

Catching his looks she shuffled her feet somewhat as she tried to find a way to broche the subject she came for. However, after letting the silence drag on she decided that being roundabout wouldn't do any good as she sighed before saying, "Paul, I need your help."

His eyes focused as she said that and he made a small 'go on gesture', his undivided attention on her.

Biting her lip for a moment her hands clenched a little tighter as she forged on.

"What was it like when Sally told you about us?" she asked softly, watching as Paul's eyes widened as she continued. "When she told you about what Percy was … and about Poseidon?"

"…"

A long silence followed her up as she looked at the deceased mortal, watching as his eyes drifted down to his desk with a slight frown marring his face. The silence persisted for some time as Hestia's nervousness grew until Paul finally looked back up at her. Without a word he stood and walked around his desk and towards a pair of chairs off to the side of the room.

To Hestia it looked like a little reading nook given the small shelves and bean-bag chairs littering the corner. She then watched as the deceased mortal carefully pulled the two chairs so that they were facing each other before sitting and gesturing to the other.

Understanding what he wanted, Hestia was quick to move and sit across from him with her hands folded on her lap as Paul rested his elbows on his knees and looked at her intently. His normally clear blue eyes seemed almost foggy as he looked at her but at the same time didn't, his brows furrowing as he seemed to think over his words before breaking the silence.

"When Sally told me about the Greek gods …" he started in a near whisper, his eyes shifting to look down through his interlaced fingers. "… That isn't a simple answer but I guess the beginning would have been confusion," he said as he then straightened up to look at her again. "I was more of a spiritual man rather than one believing in a true religion but when Sally suddenly sprung on me the actual existence of gods? With proof at that?"

He lightly shook his head with a wistful chuckle.

"I was honestly worried her drink had been laced with something but after checking several times and having some proof, well, there is only so long stubbornness born of denial can last. I asked Sally if she could give me some time alone to think, to _really_ think about what I'd just learned and how it would change my world forever more," he said as he glanced at his hands again as his eyes darkened. "It was during that time that the uglier emotions started to rear their heads. Sure, I was awed for a moment but then I started to really think about the myths I knew and loved and suddenly, all the horrors recorded in them became all too real."

His eyes returned to her as a prominent frown made its way onto his face.

"It's one thing to hear or read ancient stories from a faraway land but to know the reasons for those stories were actually here, in the very same city? Well, to say I was terrified would have been rather mild but …" he trailed off for a moment as his frown dropped to an almost rueful smile. "… By that point I was already well and truly in love with Sally and even with my fears, I took the dive. After all, sometimes love and happiness are worth the risk," he said with a warmer smile towards the end before suddenly his entire expression darkened.

"However, even if I'd chosen to stay with her, it doesn't mean it was suddenly perfect and there came one of my most glaring issues … Percy," he said as she looked at him with wide eyes to which he nodded slowly. "I had personally liked Percy and still did but with my knew knowledge of just _who_ is father was, an issue I imagine many couples deal with when one of them have a child from a previous relationship came back even stronger."

Paul then slowly stood up and walked around his chair to stand in front of one of the open windows, his hair lightly tasseling in a gentle breeze that passed with his back to Hestia.

"I'd always had this concern, this doubt about Poseidon and by extension, Percy himself. What if Poseidon decided to come back into Sally's life? What if Percy facilitated that, being a walking, breathing reminder of Poseidon? Before Poseidon had just been another man to me, one that once wooed my now wife and abandoned her to raise their child on her own but now? Now I knew I was literally in comparison to a god, a being that could just take Sally on a whim, and as mere mortals, our thoughts on the matter would have been irrelevant."

Paul then sighed as he half turned to look at her, his eyes boring into hers.

"Deep down I also knew Sally had some lingering feelings for Poseidon, even if she had moved on and was happy with me but, can you really blame me for having doubts? Poseidon was a god … rich, handsome, and powerful. Had Sally allowed it, he could have made her every wish and dream come true and what was I? A simple man almost past his prime that taught English and Writing and spent personal time reading old stories and debating colleagues."

He then gave a tired sigh as he fully turned and walked back towards her before letting himself drop into the chair across from her.

"Then there were my doubts about Percy," he said as he looked down and clasped his hands together. "I knew he'd been without a proper father-figure for most of his life and grew up stronger out of necessity, especially when it came to being protective of his mother. He was a demigod, a hero almost constantly risking life and limb … what could a mortal man like me possibly do for him? How could I bridge the gap between us, especially if Percy's reaction to me could easily make or break my relationship with Sally?"

Paul then raised his face as he looked at Hestia.

"But in the end that's what they turned out to be, mere doubts and fears when I only took myself into consideration and how I compared to what I thought was needed. Sally and Percy though didn't care for it, not whether I was rich and powerful, not whether I was some great hero or warrior but simply of who I was," he said as a warm smile made its way onto his face. "It wasn't a switch being flipped, no light descending on me with a great epiphany, but a slow assimilation and acknowledgement. I had to accept that I wasn't Poseidon, that I would never be him or an equal replacement of some sort, and that it was okay. That at the end of the day all that Sally and Percy wanted, and needed, was just the simple honest man named Paul Blofis," he finished, getting a soft smile out of Hestia as she rubbed at one of her eyes.

However, the tender air was quickly shifted as Paul asked her a question in turn.

"But now I wonder, what's got you asking things like that?"

Her demeanor shifted as her back went rigid for a moment, her eyes nailed to his as she felt that nervousness return. However, she only saw warmth and care in his gaze as he looked at her, even going as far as to reach over and gently cup one of her hands with his. Feeling both his concern and knowing that he would not judge her for how she felt, she told him all.

Sometimes she spoke in whispers as he patiently waited, only giving soft hums or nods to show that he was listening and ready for her to go on. At other times her voice came as a deep growl as she talked about Annabeth and what she had felt for the demigoddess turned immortal during those years on Olympus but he didn't shy away, instead squeezing her hand in support. A then she came to Cloelia and on what happened since yesterday, her voice choking up as she described Percy, his shaken state, and then the current outlook for the godling's condition.

And then of course, the only possibility for rescuing the godling from such a fate, and the cost it needed.

After she finished she turned her gaze down, feeling a familiar shame well up within her as she looked at her own trembling hands. Even now her mind tortured her with whispers, faint yet almost sinister voices that replayed her own thoughts and desires in her own voice. How Cloelia was still not only Annabeth's child, but the offspring born of the affair that broke her husband's heart.

Before, Cloelia might have been Chase's child but a child that was far away and next to no reason for her to be close to them and especially close to Percy. Hestia had been perfectly content with that distance and bore no ill will to the godling, even finding morbid amusement in knowing the girl idolized Percy. She could just picture her every praise of the Great Hero and how it would no doubt sting the likes of Apollo and Chase for various reasons.

But no more. Now the girl was very much close, too close for Hestia to remain disinterested and apathetic.

As much as she tried to deny it, she knew a part of her hated the child. For everything she represented to the constant reminder of Chase, as if she was the last obstacle against finally letting the dead rest. ' _But she's just a little girl!'_ Hestia screamed at herself, feeling torn as to how and what she should feel versus what actually was. However before her thoughts could get too rampant she felt Paul taking up her hands as her gaze snapped up.

Meeting the calm of his bright blue eyes to her burning red, she felt herself calm if only slightly.

"Hestia …" he began gently, running his thumbs over the back of her hands. "… I know this may be sudden but, answer me honestly. Why do you always doubt yourself and your worth?" he asked, making her start as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"W-what? But I don—"

"Hestia," Paul cut in firmly, his eyes locking on hers. "… Please. I've seen those eyes in a mirror before and I know something is scaring you … something is making you doubt."

As he said that Hestia couldn't help but look down, refusing to meet his gaze even as he continued to speak.

"Perhaps you're scared that Percy will accept Cloelia as his daughter?" he asked.

"Of course he would," she mumbled softly, her eyes starting to sting as her words carried through. "He would never save her just to toss her into an orphanage or onto someone else. He would demand to be part of her life, to take care of her … to be the father he didn't have."

"And are you angry at him for that?" Paul asked tentatively only for her to shake her head.

"How could I? Him being the way he is, is the reason I fell in love with him … even if I didn't have a chance at the time," she replied softly, her throat starting to burn as her hands clenched.

"Then do you doubt him?" Paul asked only for Hestia to look up at the spirit with confusion in her eyes. "Do you think that he'll favor Cloelia and forget about you?"

"Of course not!" Hestia bit back, affronted that Paul would even suggest such a thing. "He loves me and would never do something like that!"

"Then what are you sacred of?" Paul retorted, his eyes firm and unflinching from her tone. "You trust Percy and you accept that he would take on Cloelia as his daughter should he save her, so what? Annabeth has passed on, my Chaos keep her, so why does a godling's presence scare you? Would you think her a threat after everything that's happened to her?" he asked sharply as Hestia turned her gaze away, tears starting to well-up in her eyes.

She heard Paul sigh but she refused to look, her lips trembling until she froze at what Paul said next.

"Or … are you scared of what else Cloelia would need. After all, if Percy becomes her father, she'll still need a mother."

Silence descended after Paul stopped, the goddess frozen as what he said played over and over in her head.

… How?

How could she have missed such a simple yet crucial fact? This wasn't just a matter of agreeing for Percy to save the child or not but a full on commitment that included Rhea, Andromeda and herself as his wives. She knew her husband, understood where his heart rested, and the very principles he tried to live by.

If he adopted Cloelia, the child would be irrevocably in their lives. Percy wouldn't even entertain the thought of saving the child only to leave her in Leto's Orphanage or under the care of servants. He would take responsibility, even with his time already stretched thin as it was with the war. And yet, it wasn't feasible for him to do it alone, especially with the condition Cloelia could be in due to the adoption.

Young godlings needed to maintain close contact with their divine parents, their domains, or others of similar essence to help stabilize them as they grew into themselves. For most gods, who matured from infant to young adult in as short as a few months to a couple of years, it was a but a blink of their immortal lives. Cloelia wasn't so lucky in such regards. Being the rare case of enduring maturation at a near mortal pace, her stabilization would take significantly longer and with the power she could inherit, that could make her presence potentially volatile to most of the lower tier gods.

She would need near constant watch of at least one of the primordial just to make sure her core didn't flare up and if it did, to contain the fallout. Better yet would be if Percy or maybe one of his _Shadows_ to be around since the feel of his presence would naturally calm Cloelia and the chance of Cloelia's new power harming him was near zero.

And yet, they were at war. Percy simply did not have the time to be a constant presence and the idea of splitting himself into multiple bodies was off the table. The last thing they needed was their king and strongest warrior fighting at anything less than full capacity should Pontus or one of the stronger sea deities make a move.

No. That risk was too great but that still left them with the need to have someone close to the child that was either powerful enough or similar in essence to safely interact and if necessary restrain her but also capable of comforting the godling. The list of possible candidates was already slim as is and even then, it pointed to the very fact Paul had brought up.

Cloelia would need a second adoptive parent, someone that could be with her when Percy wasn't. But then, that need cut the list even more since two adopting divine beings needed to have some form of bond between each other to begin with. Otherwise the risk of Essence Rejection could occur within the adopted being in question and results could get messy. Even more so considering Cloelia had already assimilated some of Percy's essence and was practically a pseudo-daughter as is.

That meant that only three actual options existed; Rhea, Andromeda, and … herself.

' _B-but … could—would one of us do it?'_ she thought only to shake her head as the answer immediately came to her.

Andromeda.

While Rhea was neutral in regards to Cloelia, Hestia didn't doubt that Andromeda had closely monitored the young godling since Chase had visited their mountain. If asked Andromeda wouldn't even hesitate to go and adopt Cloelia with Percy. ' _Would Andy even tolerate the thought of not doing anything for Cloelia?'_ she wondered, having not considered her second wife's feelings on the matter. Sure, Andy might not be queen like herself and Rhea but then this wasn't a council issue.

This was personal to them and so Andy's stance and voice was equal to herself, Rhea, and Percy. And now Hestia felt a sinking in her gut as she realized it and was appalled. Yes she had her own misgivings left even with Annabeth gone but to think she'd just assumed her choice alone mattered most? That sinking sensation went straight to knotting.

"Hestia?" Paul asked, breaking her from her thoughts as she looked at him.

He had a small frown of concern and now she just realized he'd been holding her hand too.

"Are you okay? You got very pale suddenly," he said.

"I'm …" she was about to say 'fine' but one look at the worry in Paul's eyes did away with it, making her relent. "No. I just … I don't know what to do or how to feel about all this."

Paul remained silent as she gave a tired sigh, her shoulders dropping as she looked at her own hands. Did Rhea and Andromeda even know about Cloelia's condition yet? They were aware of the godling being present, that was assured, but they still needed to know this and discuss it all together.

"I need to talk to the others too," she found herself saying, her gaze still low. "But I'm scared," she said, a slight tremble to her voice. "Scared of telling them how I feel and how they'll take it. I'm already disgusted with myself … who's to say they won't be too?"

She sniffed a little as she tapered off, imagining those very reactions. And worse was that no matter how much she may want to hide it, Andromeda could get a read on her all too easily and know exactly how she felt. However she was broken out of her thoughts as Paul squeezed her hands, gaining her attention.

"Hestia … I can understand that you're worried but I need you to do something for me," he said gently, looking straight into her eyes as she slowly nodded. "I need you to have faith. I know how hard grudges can be and what they do to you, after all, I see it in Percy's eyes every time Poseidon is mentioned," he continued, his own eyes darkening for a moment as well. "Fears too, regardless if they are irrational or not and no matter what you feel, its the actions that you take that matter. That's why I need you to have faith and trust in your husband and wives. Trust them to hear you and understand where you are coming from, trust so that you can all work towards a solution because this is not a choice any of you can or should make alone."

As he finished he slowly stood up and guiding Hestia to do the same before he pulled her into a hug.

"Can you do that for me?" he asked as he rubbed circles into her back.

Her eyes stung at his words but so did it warm her heart. She took a shaky breath before she nodded into his shoulder.

"Good."

With that he pulled back and pulled a handkerchief from a vest pocket to lightly dab at her eyes and clearing the few tears that formed.

"Now, I believe Sally should be getting back from meeting with the judges for the morning trails so why don't we head back to our house and get some tea?" he asked, his voice more uplifting as he tucked away the handkerchief. "You look like you could use the pick-me up before returning to the upper world."

As he said that he guided her through the room and out of the school, another breeze rolling over them as Paul turned them towards a path leading off to the rolling hills. As they walked Hestia glanced at him as a soft smile played on her lips, her shoulders feeling just a little lighter after their talk.

She knew he was right and that she needed to trust in her spouses but knowing that she already had his understanding and support helped. ' _I'll go straight to telling them the moment I return to the surface,'_ she promised herself as she let the soft breezes and warmth of the plains soothe her…

* * *

 **With Allen, Noon, Olympian Army**

He couldn't stop the tremble of his knee as he looked down at his hands caked in dried blood, his breathing deep and slow as he tried to calm himself. He'd just gotten back from making another round checking his division after being up all night helping bring in some of the injured demigods left of Athena's Vanguard to Apollo's med-tent, the last being a demigoddess that barely missed being crushed by a falling chariot. Her left leg hadn't been as lucky and Allen honestly wasn't sure if the limb could be saved.

With a grimace he shook his head as he did away with the thought, instead trying to focus on his immediate surroundings. The panicky murmurs and sound of pacing, scratching, and shuffling around him did little to help his nerves. His deep grey eyes shifted as he heard a muttered curse, watching as one Clarisse La Rue was gathering a dropped shell for her modified Desert Eagle.

Listening and now watching as the veteran demigoddess endlessly unload and reload the clip, at times popping out the rounds to check them before replacing them was driving the demigod mad at this point. A whisper in the back of his head just wanted him to get up, grab the damned thing from her hands, and smack her with it. He wasn't about to indulge though, not with the seething rage within her eyes, the blood caking some of her hair only making her look near rabid. Last thing he needed was to give Clarisse a focus for her own agitation.

So instead he tore his eyes off her and looked around, watching as other demigods and the mortal commanders of each division sat or paced near their spots within the large table centered in the command tent. At the head of the table was the spot for the gods to sit, some still not being present and the reason the meeting wasn't underway. Those that were present weren't doing much better than the mortals, many shifting in their seats and looking around as if they expected an attack to come from any shadow, almost non-existent as they were.

He glanced around the near absurd number of lights present within the large tent. Magical torches hung from above while modified mortal lamps were set at foot level, bathing everything in some form of light and minimizing the possible shadows. It was all done in an effort to cut off points for the primordial to possibly spy on them along with a barrier so densely powered that even Allen could sense it encompassing the tent and formed solely for preventing the 'extended gaze' of divine beings.

He'd asked about it once and his sister had explained it to him as a way gods could directly see through the substance or objects/beings connected and associated with their domains. Of course, given the nature of domains and the connections formed, the barrier couldn't truly cut a god off but was more suited to 'scrambling the signal' and making spying far harder.

Of course the present gods were also constantly monitoring their surroundings, searching for any _presence_ not associated with them but so far everything has come off as clean within the camp. The surrounding forest on the other hand, well, from the mutterings going around the gods couldn't detect anything _but_ the presence of Rhea saturating every tree and the earth around them.

' _And as if we couldn't get more bad news,'_ he thought with a heavy snort as his gaze fell on the table before him.

Knowledge of Rhea's presence and her ascended status spread like wildfire moments after the attacking primordial pulled back and the army somewhat moved past the initial shock of Artemis' death. Though her abilities beyond direct combat couldn't be confirmed and Hera wasn't exactly chatty about her thrashing at the hands of her former mother so no one dared ask.

The attack had basically shot an arrow through the knee of the collective army. Over a hundred demigods simply vanishing, most assumed dead even if Allen suspected more along the lines of kidnapping after having had the primordial offer for sanctuary confirmed by his sister. After all many of those taken were in fact part of Athena's Vanguard and his siblings along with many young demigods that he knew didn't want to fight in this war to begin with.

If he were colder by nature he'd say the attack was somewhat of a failure in some aspects due to who they targeted for their kidnappings since they took the younger, weaker, and less threatening demigods. An ambush like last night would have far more devastating effects if they'd taken/killed more of the stronger and experienced demigods, especially the veterans, and left the young ones to incite more panic.

But, even if dead or not, the effect of last night's attack was chokingly palpable. After counting the MIA demigods, another hundred or so were unquestionably dead thanks to the bodies left. Allen needed only close his eyes and the image of Craceus being pulled apart by those branches would appear. Shivering he shoved that memory away as quickly as it came, his mind focusing on the reports of the night instead.

Though figures were still being determined and since no one wanted to risk moving into the forest surrounding them beyond the clearing the closest estimates were about some 200 to possibly 300 casualties within demigod ranks alone. Of those loses, the majority was dealt to three divisions; Athena's Vanguard, Hera's Escort mainly consisting of Amazons, and Artemis' Hunt. While Allen assumed a large number of those from his mother's division were thanks to being the rescue/kidnapping of the demigods given the lack of bodies, the other two divisions suffered a far grimmer fate.

Artemis' Hunt was gone.

At least half of Artemis' odd hundred or so hunters had been butchered with huntresses cut to pieces, bodies broken, and left as mauled corpses. The cleanup was sickening to say the least and most the demigods doing the recovering couldn't even sleep or eat afterwards, himself included. He could only pray that his three sisters in the Hunt had been taken since their bodies hadn't been found. The rest of the members left were either those that had been routed or left over after Percy took Artemis away to fight.

Allen wondered if any of those girls would join other divisions or even think of fighting again after last night. Following the Hunt's complete lose was Hera's Escort, a group mainly formed of Amazons and some demigods selected by Hera for their skill … and bloodthirst. It wasn't surprising the few males in that group had been sons of Ares and extremely vocal towards attacking soon, something that Hera had been encouraging.

If anything their casualties had been the highest among any division and unlike much of the demigods declared MIA, the losses to Hera's division were decidedly KIA. And most of those loses could be attested to the battle between Rhea and Hera, the clash of the two goddesses having mulched any mortal trying to interfere. Of course Hera's Amazons tried to back their patron as much as they could, even going as far as throwing themselves into danger just to injure the primordial.

It did little good from what Allen had seen later on, with Rhea only sporting light injuries while Hera had a shattered arm, broken armor, and lost a good chunk of some of her best Amazons. Her second in command, Hylla, had been furious as she led those recovery efforts while ignoring her own broken foot and limp after having taken a counter from Rhea and dodging the worst of the hit. At least, that was assuming Rhea had been aiming higher up and Hylla escaped a possibly fatal hit to her body.

As for the last bit of casualties, the loses had been rather spread out through other divisions but, as if to add more salt to the wound, those casualties had been more along the lines of friendly fire and collateral. Several demigods were found trampled in the confusion by Party Ponies, some hit and crushed when the chariots of the minor gods were blasted out of the skies, and some had been caught near explosive, Styx-fire rounds fired by panicking demigods trying to take out the ambushing wolves.

"What a mess," he murmured under his breathe before his attention was caught as someone sat in the chair next to him.

His eyes met intense gaze of the only living praetor, Reyna, her light brown eyes narrowed as she sat stiffly, her helm held under one arm. He saw her glance down to his bloody hands, her eyes softening for just a moment before she nodded slightly and looked towards the table while muttering, "Indeed."

He followed her line of sight just as the tent flap opened and Hylla along with a near look-alike to Reyna to the point Allen could have mistaken her for the third, eldest Ramirez-Arellano sister. He watched as Bellona walked in, her own helm and most of her armor gone save for her dirty breastplate covered in scratches and one cut that looked like it almost made it through. The goddess also had several bandages wrapped around her left arm, several splotches of gold appearing underneath it along with the large bruise over her left eye.

Hylla wasn't much better than her mother, sporting numerous cuts and without the breastplate showing her shirt caked in blood. Most worryingly of all was the fact that she was more or less hobbling in with a crutch under her right arm, her right leg from the middle of the shin down covered in thick wrappings that even now looked to be gaining a red coloration. Rumor was that Hylla managed to rush and slice into Rhea's thigh before the winged goddess gave a wild swing back at her just as the demigoddess tried to pull back. The glancing blow had apparently crushed the thin layers of bronze guarding Hylla's ankle behind it. It was only sheer coincidence that Hera attacked the goddess moments after Hylla, the collision knocking her away before she could finish the downed Amazon queen.

Hylla had been dragged to nearby combat-medics but unfortunately luck had not been the on the Amazon queen's side. The metal of the guard had cut into her ankle and the bone was crushed with the break near the bottom of her shin stabbing out of the skin. They'd managed to cut off the bleeding and tried to set some of the bone but it proved fruitless, the point of impact having shattered much of the bone and torn up key tendons.

After the primordial pulled back and some order had been restored, Hylla was rushed to the medic tents and given the best emergency treatment they could but there was only so much that could be done. Even now when the Amazon queen should be resting she was up and about even with an injury that might get worse if she agitates it more. Allen shuddered at the thought of walking around with an injury like that but he guessed Hylla must be in so much pain and then high off adrenaline and medication that she couldn't even feel it at the moment.

The murmur and movement in the tent was reduced at the presence of one of the commanding goddesses and mortal leader of the Amazons, some even nodding in their direction but they didn't respond as Bellona instead sat at one of the head chairs and looked down at the crudely drawn map of the camp and their surroundings leading to the mountain some miles away. Hylla wordlessly moved and took the seat next to Reyna and Allen could hear the knuckles of the praetor popping as she clenched her fist when she looked at her sister's injury. With the newest arrivals ignoring them most retuned to what they were doing, such as the quiet Hephaestus as he silently tinkered with some wiring and bolts.

Looking at the god now Allen felt a pit forming in his gut as it reminded him of how both Leo and Annabeth disappeared in the middle of the attack. He didn't know why and hadn't gotten the time to asking around but the way Hephaestus seemed more nervous than what he'd shown recently, that didn't fill Allen with good feelings. However his attention was drawn to the entrance flap again as the final gods arrived; Zeus, Hera … and Apollo.

Allen had already seen the two former in passing several times over the night as he helped with the recovery, organized the groups he could, and made rounds. Zeus was tired but showed no injuries while Hera had her left arm in a makeshift cast and going by the way her breathing was shallow, he guessed possibly cracked if not outright broken ribs. Luckily by godly standards, Hera would recover within 2 to 3 days at most and be ready for combat again. However it was Apollo that took not only his attention, but of the commanders in the tent as a whole.

Unlike all of them Apollo looked exactly the same way he did since the attack, armor and all but what was worrying was his seeming disregard for his own injuries. Allen could clearly see the dents in his breastplate, the stab wound in his left bracer that was caked with dried ichor, and the crusty cut he had on the side of his head. None of them had been treated or even cleaned and no one dared so much as point them out.

Allen hadn't thought much of the god even before his sister ascended to godhood and married him and that opinion all but dropped to the dirt when Apollo's infidelity became known. Still, he'd viewed the god as a relatively laid-back dude and irresponsible ass at times that obviously couldn't keep it in his pants though he did respect the god for his medical prowess and archery skill. However, even through all that Apollo had still been one of the more approachable gods.

Allen couldn't honestly place that past god with the one before him.

This god that walked in was more comparable to the likes of Artemis and Hera. His frame was nearly steaming and his eyes were completely covered with a harsh golden glow even as his face remained worryingly rigid. His steps were heavy and it echoed in the sudden silence of the tent as he took his seat while the ambient temperature in the tent rose from uncomfortable to outright sweltering.

Allen could feel the sweat trailing down his forehead as glanced around, seeing how everyone had gotten stiff and avoided eye contact with the god. The very god that had, up until now, refused to move from his kneeing position in front of Artemis' bow. It hadn't mattered who called him or what they did to try and get his attention, he'd ignored them all in favor of staring at his sister's dead symbol as silent tears streamed down his face.

A part of Allen wished the god was still there rather than here now as he shifted in his seat, other gods and mortals alike mirroring him as Zeus cleared his throat to get their attention. As one they all turned their head to look even as Apollo didn't but again, no one called attention to it.

"Are all commanders gathered?" Zeus asked as he did a quick scan, nodding as he did so before continuing. "Report, how is the status of the army?" he barked as his attention fell first on Bellona, the defacto leader of the army when Zeus was otherwise occupied.

The goddess didn't so much as blink at the tone as she began. "Overall recovery of the bodies within the bounds of the clearing is done and so far, 287 demigods are confirmed dead or missing. As for the injured demigods, the number is surprisingly low with few being of grave nature," she said and no one missed the way she glanced at her near-crippled daughter. "All have already been tended to or are in the med-tents as we speak and most should be fit to return active roles within the a week, maybe sooner if checked by our Chief Healer," she said with a pointed look at Apollo.

The sun god actually turned his head to look at her, his glowing eyes narrowing as he all but growled, "I'll get to them soon enough," before he looked back to the map on the table.

A tense silence fell upon the tent for a moment as some shifted in their seats before Bellona continued.

"We lost a collection of Party Ponies but I'm jutting that down as routing and deserters given that they aren't exactly the most ordered or loyal of groups under our banner." There was an uncomfortable pause as they watched Bellona drum her fingers on the table as she glanced down for a moment, seemingly thinking about the next piece but she then looked up and spoke. "As for the minor gods … anywhere from a third to half are gone."

That got a start out of the commanders and even Apollo's gaze snapped to her at the statement, confused and shocked looks abounding.

"… What?" Zeus asked lowly, his voice carrying a near echo of crackling as his eyes flashed.

Showing her millennia of experience in military discipline and nerve Bellona didn't falter at having the attention on her as she explained.

"We can confirm either from witnesses or evidence left that many gods were felled during the lightning attacks and several torn apart once on the ground by their surroundings or even facing the attacking gods. However, over a dozen gods were not seen at any point during the attack and have not been found since, including the likes of Phobos and Deimos. Chase and Valdez were also noted to have left in the middle of the attack and I also received IM's from Lady Demeter and Chiron that several of the minor gods tasked with the protection of New Rome also disappeared around the time of the attack while Valdez was later seen in the city," she finished as silence fell upon them once again.

Allen could practically see the thoughts churning, explanations brought up and discarded as the commanders digested the news. A pressure started to build up within the tent as several faces started to redden, or golden, with rage as more and more came to similar conclusions.

"Deserters," Hera hissed, the brown of her eyes starting to gain a coppery glow as her frame shook but before she could continue, Hephaestus surprisingly cut in.

"Worse … traitors," he said, his tone grim as he set down the tiny automaton he fashioned to look at the surrounding commanders, some looking at him pointedly the moment his son was named as one of the gods that left.

"Even your own son who turned tail in the middle of battle?" asked Ioke hotly, one of the bloodthirsty goddesses leading in the minor god forces, and under Bellona's command.

Allen tensed slightly as seeing the way the raven-haired goddess was fingering a knife strapped to the inside of her left arm bracer as her dull-red eyes narrowed on the god of Fire and Metalworking.

"No," Hephaestus replied as his eyes hardened as they stared back at the goddess. "But Leo messaged me a few hours ago and told me there was an attack on Ogygia. From what Calypso managed to tell him, some of the gods charged with protecting New Rome were part of the attackers. He managed to arrive, Chase not far behind him, and get to Calypso before anything serious could be done to her but the main attackers left before they arrived." Hephaestus' face darkened as his fist clenched when he continued, "They took Chase's daughter with them and baited her to follow."

"Who led them and where?" Allen asked before he could think on it, his entire frame rigid as he listened, his fists clenched up to the point his knuckles were visibly paling under the dried blood.

"Olympus," Hermes answered as the attention was turned on him even as Hephaestus nodded. "I've been getting reports from some of my messengers left in Manhattan that they felt a battle on the mountain, including several gods assuming divine form … and then fading."

"And supposedly they were led by Pallas," Hephaestus added making everyone snap to him, eyes wide and disbelief.

"Impossible, he's supposed to be trapped in Tartarus!" Zeus all but declared as if it were absolute truth and to contest it was blasphemy, his nostrils flaring in growing agitation.

"Apparently not," Hephaestus retorted, for once not backing down from the gaze of his father. "And even if untrue, Calypso's claims cannot just be dismissed to mere shell-shock from an attack. The fact is that there was an attack under a powerful leader, Cloelia— _your_ granddaughter—was taken, and Annabeth pursued to what seems to have been Olympus. There was another battle and several of Hermes best in the area felt gods fading. Now I don't know about you but I think we need to get a team there immediately and check everything to see who faded and if possible look for signs of Anna—"

"Don't bother," Apollo cut in, making some jump at the suddenness of it as they turned to look at the god.

"… Don't bother?" Allen question lowly as he slowly stood up as he glared at the god. "Don't bother?" he asked again before slamming his hands on the table making it shake as some flinched at the action. "That's my sister you're talking about and your daughter! If anyone should already be there searching for them it's you, you bastard!" he practically snarled at the sun god.

Nothing else could be heard aside from Allen's near panting as his eyes remained glued to Apollo's glowing ones, neither backing down. The more rational part of Allen's mind, the part that realized just how much danger he'd put himself in and was begging him to apologize and back down, was viciously overruled by the enraged part demanding an answer from the god that dared dismiss a search effort for his sister.

However he still felt a shiver run up his spine as Apollo slowly moved, his right hand overlapping his left where there was a brief glow beneath it. When it faded everyone watched as he pulled something off his finger before he held it up.

It was a faded gold ring, the metal looking oddly dull and worn with even a few cracks running the length.

A gasp from Hera was largely ignored as Apollo let the ring go, the ping of the metal hitting and bouncing on the table echoing in the tent. When it finally settled, many looked at the sun god and the ring in confusion while some gods paled or cursed, fists clenching as they glared at the jewelry. Allen wasn't sure on what the ring meant or why Apollo even showed it to them but just looking at the thing filled him with dread.

"A broken matrimony ring for a godly union, something that only happens through a divorce … or if one or both of the pair die," Apollo said, his voice scathing as he looked at Allen, steaming coming in bursts from his eyes that Allen now realized must have been tears evaporating as they came. "So tell me demigod, why bother searching for my wife when I know she's already dead?"

Allen felt all the air leave his lungs as he looked at the ring, a white noise filling his ears as his legs gave out and he fell back in his chair. He didn't bother to look around to see how the others were taking the news, instead his thoughts revolving not only around the loss of his sister but of her daughter.

"What about Cloelia?" he asked, his voice cracking as he felt the sting in the back of his eyes but he held back as much as he could.

His question got the general attention and most seemed unsure what to say for a few moments before Apollo spoke again, his clipped tone bordering on resigned contempt.

"I can sense her nearby on _that_ mountain but it's faint and getting weaker."

Silence fell again as some shifted in their seats, looking around to see how they would continue from there. Zeus cleared his throat to regain attention at some point and ask another commander about the condition of their division but Allen started to tune them out. He own thoughts were on how this news could affect his siblings and his mother…

* * *

 **With Percy, A Few Hours Later**

The primordial god slowly opened his eyes as a heavy sigh escaped him, a cool mist flowing out as he started to sit up. He didn't even need to glance to the side to know he was alone this morning … or was it more appropriate to say afternoon? Regardless he got up and paused for a moment as he caught his reflection in the vanity of one of his wives. His dark-flamed eyes looked as his hand came up to trace the small, pale line running across his left cheek before it lowered to his ribs. There was another, longer line that flowed beneath the last rib.

The temporary evidence of his battle against the late lunar goddess.

However his eyes then focused on his right hand, the very one he'd used to trace the nearly faded lines, and noticed the uneven shading of his knuckles and minute tear lines. The damaged done to him in a pseudo-divine form and permanent reminder of the battle on the moon.

With a sigh he lowered his hand as he got out of the bed before, with but a thought, was surrounded in a cocoon of darkness for all of five seconds. Once it dissipated he was revealed to be fully changed into mere dark jeans, black boots, a grey shirt, and his Coat of Darkness fashioned into much like a leather jacket sitting snuggly of his lithe frame. The moment he finished he left his room and headed in the direction of the entrance as he sensed for any others in the house and found none.

' _Probably best … could use a little quiet,'_ he thought as he made it to the main doors and walked down the steps, his gaze shifting off to his right. The planet below continued its slow spin but beyond its horizon his eyes focused on a black spot that couldn't even be illuminated by the sun. For a moment he remembered of times long gone, of the days when he was but a boy who would gaze upon that silvery splendor for hours at night. Now the seemingly empty, scarred, and dead moon was swallowed up in darkness and left adrift.

… His Darkness.

' _How times have changed_.' A tired sigh escaped him as he turned his eyes away the bitter reminder as he walked down the steps of the landing, each footfall echoing out into the void beyond until he stepped over the edge. For a moment he floated, hi wings pulled tight against his back and his eyes centered on the immense globe below him before the first pulls of gravity began to take him. He started to descend, his face unfazed as the planet got closer.

The fall gained momentum by the second as speed started to build but he paid it no mind as his gaze drifted up. His eyes looked on into the expansive abyss full of faraway lights and shapes as it got farther and farther away. Soon he felt himself enter the first layers of the Earth's atmosphere and felt the pressure build against him, his jacket starting to billow lightly. It seemed to last for ages before, like a sudden breeze passing over him, he entered the next layer.

There was a spike in heat and sound a sort of sizzle could be heard as a distortion of pressure began to surround him as his fall got even faster. As the heat rose an orange glow started to surround him but it didn't faze him, barely registering as a warm breeze to him. Then there was another jump in pressure as a familiar and inviting coolness enveloped him, his frame now steaming. He glanced up to see the dark void having become a dark blue sky, the stars he usually looked upon all but hidden from his gaze.

He then looked down, his eyes roving over the expansive layer of white and grey fluff tinted with shades of orange and red from the overhead sun. Closing his eyes he let himself drift back as if laying down for a nap, his arms and legs left to stretch as the muted throb of his fall become a dull roar as wind billowed around him. He didn't count the time as he simply immersed himself in the sensation of the careless fall.

Idly he wondered if he looked like a fallen angel cast from the heavens…

His musing were left unanswered as he felt his body punch through the thick clouds, bathing him in a wet and cool mist. Mere seconds later he was out and yet fell into another, the process repeating itself several times as the sound of wind was replaced with bellows of thunder and hissing rain. Then finally he fell through the last cloud, the chorus of rain and occasional boom of thunder after a flash of lightning being his only company as his eyes opened yet again.

He could feel the ground getting closer by the second as he slowly shifted again, his stance straighter with his legs directly beneath him as his gaze looked down. Even with the storming clouds, thick rain, and dark gloom he could make out familiar forests and a distant city beyond but it was the hills, forest, and coast beneath him that really took his attention as the minutes passed by.

The ground was getting even closer, so close in fact that he would soon hit a skyscraper should there be one but still he didn't react. He was getting so close should any mortal or monster look up, they would clearly see him. Then, from what could have been mere moments before he crashed into the Earth, his wings stretched with a thunderous clap.

The wind billowed around him with a pulse of pressure that shook the very ground beneath him as the rain was pushed away for but a second, the closest trees swaying dangerously. However it was only a moment before it passed as the rain fell upon him again, leaving the winged deity to float effortlessly even as the downpour continued around him as he took in his surroundings.

"Of all the places to land," he mused softly as he took in the familiar and once welcoming sight of Camp Half-Blood.

He floated a dozen feet or so above the very hill he traversed his first time here, the sight of his battle against the Minotaur and the true beginning of his adventures as a demigod. His eyes found the iconic tree marking the barrier once isolating and protecting this demigod sanctuary.

But no more.

Gone was the barrier and its protections, the camp left as bear to the elements as Thalia's Pine now that the Golden Fleece and Peleus had been moved to Mount Cartier during their declaration of War. Once it was an ever-constant summer, the grounds covered in lush greenery and the scent of wild strawberries being grown in the surrounding fields along with the clangs of metal working and training in the background. The constant shouts of dozens to hundreds of demigods spending time perfecting their crafts, learning and passing on their skills, or simply enjoying their holidays.

Now it all lay empty, the drone of the rain covering what would be an unnatural silence. His eyes looked on, unbothered by the rain or shadows as he took it all in. The Big House at alone atop another hill, the windows dark and the porch untouched. The armory and arenas left quiet off in the distance.

His eyes fell as he let himself fall the last dozen feet until he landed with a muffled splash before he began to walk towards the very center of the camp, his eyes catching small cracks and trenches from Rhea's 'attack'. Some trees were felled and merely left as they were, most of the nymphs having retreated deep into the surrounding forests or to new areas entirely.

He only gave a passing glance to the amphitheater, seeing the cracked sections of seats and broken fire-pit, the last logs used spilled over and off. His gaze then moved to the collection of buildings and the large hearth built into the center of them all, his eyes dulling in sadness as he walked up to it. The sight of his wife's empty hearth, the logs within long since extinguished and cold as the bowl of the hearth filled with rain.

He then looked around, noting some of the changes made to the cabins ever since he left over ten years ago. A few notable additions for once unrecognized minor gods were a given but some cabins also looked like they'd been expanded to fit the newer flux of demigods. Some of the cabins looked broken though, either completely or partially swallowed by the earth and many overrun with weeds and vines unknown to the area.

One glance over his shoulder to one of the leading cabins told him all he needed to know about the cabin he once called his second home. Nothing but turned soil was left. No plants, no marks, no traces of Poseidon ever having a claim here. Kind and compassionate by nature she may be but when Rhea wanted to, she could be as vindictive as the best of them.

Granted the cabin next to it was proof that Rhea wasn't the only one capable of the emotion given that Zeus and Hera's cabins were blown up from the center, the charring left on the marble leaving little doubt as to how that happened. The irony of a bolt of lightning destroying his own cabin must have stung the paranoid bastard like nothing else.

He could easily imagine Thalia's self-satisfied smile as she did it.

The thought got a snort out of him as his gaze moved on, noting how most of the other cabins were left alone save for the Ares and Artemis cabins. The Ares cabin was partially buried and a wall broken in from a rather large tree falling on it while Artemis' cabin looked to have been shaken to the point fractures lined the walls and part of the roof caved in.

However when his eyes settled on a particular cabin with a primary color of grey, he paused. He slowly looked over the banner left over the door, the once proud symbol of Athena bogged down by the unrelenting rain. For a moment he couldn't help but picture the goddess, her eyes losing their luster as tears came unbidden and her cries of loss echoing in his head.

He could imagine what the goddess must be like now and that was considering her learning of Cloelia's condition. His fist clenched at the thought of the godling, an innocent child that had nothing to do with this, lying on what could be her deathbed. Taking a deep breath and then giving a slow exhale as the temperatures around him dropped, he started walking towards the cabin.

The moment he got to the door he gently took the handle and turned it, unsurprised to find it unlocked, before opening it and looking in. The sight only brought a pang to his heart. He'd been in here many times before during his years of quests and to simply visit his late ex. The controlled chaos of the Athena Cabin had carried a certain charm to it, the walls coated in pictures, plans, and blueprints, all manner of small weapons collected on the far wall, and of course, the little space dedicated to each bed and the personalization of the owners.

Now it was merely chaos left in the wake of abandonment. The walls were mostly bare with only the oldest and faded maps left, the small armory stripped clean, and what was saddest of all to him, the abandoned items left to the beds. Clothes was tossed about, some picture frames and little mementos left either forgotten or simply left with no time to spare.

He slowly walked in, his black-flamed eyes taking it in as his breathe misted over with every exhaled, the sound of water droplets falling off him and onto the dusted floors echoing with him. He paused as he looked at a small frame left on the edge of a bed, the glass fogged over the image. Gently wiping his finger across it, the picture of a smiling blonde boy, probably in his upper teens giving a piggy-back ride to a more familiar blonde little girl.

' _The last one left from that group of Hunters,'_ he thought before picking up the frame and turning it over to find two names. ' _Lola and her brother Allen.'_ Idly taking a step as he still looked at the picture, he was surprised to hear a small squeak as he stepped on something. Glancing down he saw a small stuffed bunny plushy, the toy seemingly looking up in his direction. Kneeling down to pick it up he took a moment to admire the clear skill used to make it.

The seams were even and tight knit, the cloth used showing the wear after years of use still being in good condition, and even a few repair jobs made to look like colorful additions to the mostly white plushy. He could practically feel the affection and care that went into making this but also in the way it was well taken care of and precious to the receiver.

One check of the back left foot showed a little tag with the inscription 'For Lola'.

A soft sigh escaped him as he stood straight again, looking around the cabin as shadows started to gather and merge around pictures and other items left about the cabin. With but a thought said items started to sink into the shadows, to be kept safe until he hopefully had a chance to return them to their owners. Another two portals opened near his hands as he deposited the picture and plushy away before he felt a shift in the shadows just outside the cabin.

He slowly turned as the soft steps came as the door opened to reveal none other than Raven, his daughter's icy blue eyes glowing within the gloom of the cabin.

"Papa…" she murmured softly as she approached him.

He didn't question it as she walked up until she could lean against him and bury her face into his chest, instead merely wrapping his arms around her and rubbing circles into her back. He felt her nuzzle into it for a moment before pulling back to look up at him.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked as he raised a hand to her head and gently ran his fingers through her hair making her relax somewhat even as her gaze fell at his question.

"Mama said we should leave you alone for a bit but we really need you back on the mountain," she replied as she looked back up at him.

"We?" he asked.

Raven nodded as her eyes gained a more serious intensity. "It's Athena … Cloelia's getting worse and Athena isn't doing much better."

"Worse?" he asked as he stopped trailing his hands through her hair, his eyes narrowing at this news.

"Will did another scan and Cloelia's starting to show signs of Essence Decay," Raven answered as she took a step back. "The way she integrated your essence from the curse on Riptide was patchwork at best and it's starting to pull apart at the seams."

Percy clenched his fist as he took a deep breath to steady himself looking to his daughter.

"How long?" he asked, dreading the answer but needing to know as he already started to visualize Will's clinic.

Raven's face fell as she answered, "A week at best, a couple of days at worst."

Percy held back a curse as he instead nodded as he heard that before asking, "And Athena?"

That got a grimace from his daughter but she answered nonetheless.

"It's bad. Medusa tried to take her back to their house but Athena wouldn't leave and then found out about Cloelia. She hasn't slept since and won't leave Cloelia's side no matter what we say and we don't want things getting physical." Raven then paused as she glanced around for a moment before returning her gaze to him. "And … she tried healing Cloelia herself."

"What!?" Percy asked sharply which only made Raven jump. He tried to calm down, just managing as he gave a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "That idiot, is she trying to get herself killed?" he griped as he thought on the goddess.

Athena was still linked to the bounds of The West and so was out of her territory while on the mountain meaning she couldn't even recover her divine power but was slowly losing it. She'd already been low to begin with thanks to the state she was captured in and her attempts at initial escape with flaring her power in large bursts. Eating ambrosia and nectar while limiting the use of divine power to near zero did more to stall the loss than actually recover.

But no! The goddess had to go and try divine healing even when she was in no condition to even think about it. An agitated growl rumbled within the confines of his chest as he looked at his worried daughter and asked, "Why am I only now learning about this?"

"Because we were trying to handle it but she's been either ignoring us or asking about you the moment she failed to heal Cloelia," Raven responded.

He looked at his daughter for a few moments, mildly upset that she didn't come to him or one of the other council members sooner. However he could understand that they were only trying to help and tried to handle things on their own first before looking for help.

"She hasn't tried a transfer of power has she?" he asked.

Raven quickly shook her head in the negative.

"Good. Then let's go before she gets desperate enough to change that," he instructed as he held out his hand to his daughter who took it immediately.

Sparing one last glance around the cabin he promised himself to return and check the other cabins before both disappearing in a burst of shadow, the world distorting into shards of darkness and greys for some seconds. They appeared in another burst of shadow right at the entrance to the clinic. The moment his feet were grounded he took off in a brisk walk, Raven right behind him, as he entered.

He barely spared the greeting attendants a moment as he made his way to the stairs and up, flying up the steps and entering the hall holding Cloelia's room. As he approached he noticed Medusa standing just outside the closed door and leaning against the frame, her gaze turned towards him as he got closer.

"She's waiting," she said as she softly opened the door and gestured in, her own face marred with worry as he nodded to her and did just that.

While outside there was a general hum of activity as nurses and visitors moved around, the occasional doctors passing as they made check-ups, inside the room it was nearly silent. In fact the only consistent sound was that of the heartbeat monitor and a newly placed oxygen mask over Cloelia's face.

Seeing the godling made Percy pause as he took in how different a little less than 24 hours had made. While before Cloelia had been pale and sometimes breaking into a cold sweat, now it was as if she was starting to dry out. Percy could make out cracks in her skin that weren't near the curse's effect and the baby-fat of her cheeks was less pronounced. He also spotted IV connected to her now having a diluted bag of nectar steadily dripping the nourishing fluid into her system.

"Perseus."

The call of his name ripped his attention from the child to the only other person in the room, his black-flaming eyes meeting the dulled steel gaze of Athena. She was dressed in the same shirt and shorts from the night before but that was all that remained untouched. Her skin looked clammy and her hair was splitting at the ends as it spilled over her slouched shoulders, the tear tracks and puffiness of her eyes standing out from her fair skin.

She was sitting in a chair pulled right against Cloelia's bed, one of her hands clasped in the godling's nearly black one as she adjusted to facing him while he walked closer until he was level with the foot of the bed. They stared at each other for some time, seemingly weighing what they wanted to say before she finally broke the silence.

"Will you save her?"

Her voice was low and carried a slight croak, her eyes searching his even as he saw the plead within them. However he could not give her an answer, not yet anyways.

"I'm not sure," he said gently but that wasn't what the goddess wanted.

"Not sure?" she all but hissed as her eyes hardened. "What is there to be _not sure_ about?" she asked as she turned her body in the chair to face him fully. "You have the power to do it and don't lose anything so why?"

"It isn't my choice alone," he retorted, his tone getting icy.

"Like hell it isn't! You're the goddamn king, who's going to stop you?" she snarled, her empty right hand clenching as she glared at him.

"This isn't Olympus," Percy answered as he looked down at the angry goddess. "Here we don't just do whatever we please and expect everyone else to deal with the consequences."

Athena scuffed at him before her eyes narrowed as her frame started to gain a slight glow, an angry crackle of static filling the air around her. Feeling the change in her Percy's eyes darkened as he looked at the goddess.

"Athena, calm down right now … or else," he ordered, the deep growl within his voice causing a tremble in the very air around him as Athena paused.

However whatever hesitation she had was shoved aside with her persisting anger as she clenched her jaw hard enough for him to hear her teeth grinding as her power continued to rise.

"You're not so different from them," she said, her voice low and harsh as her eyes started to glow as if the steel of her eyes was being superheated. "If she were anyone else, _born_ to anyone else, you would have already saved her but no. Because of who her parents are, because you were the spurned lover, _you're not sure_ ," she mocked as the air around her started to get heavy, the cracking of tiles beneath her getting a glance from Percy. "And what? Your pack of bitches don't want to save her either or are they yo-ack!"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as Percy closed in on her in a blink, his right hand wrapping around her throat and giving a squeeze. Athena chocked up as her hands came up to grab his wrist on reflex, her eyes widening as she looked at his. The moment her hands were off Cloelia they were swallowed in a wave of shadow, their world distorting in darkness and cold before they burst out the other way.

With a flick he tossed the goddess back, making her stumble and fall over onto the grass of the Temple Garden below her. With another flick of his wrist Percy erected another barrier, one meant to contain noise and sight as the goddess coughed while getting to her feet.

He felt three slight flares of power just within said barrier but ignored them in favor of focusing on the goddess.

"You're angry and I get that, so, I'll let that one go," he said, his voice hardening as he glared at the goddess. "But I'm only forgiving for so long." He then shook his head as he took a breath to calm himself. "Listen … I understand that you're hurting an—"

He stopped as Athena shouted as she attacked, her fist coated in a golden, crackling glow as she threw a punch at his face which he caught, a burst of static erupting at the contact.

"Understand!" she screamed as she wrenched her fist back only to try another, uncaring that he kept blocked it too. "How can you understand anything!?"

Another swing, this one wilder and glowing with more power. Percy swatted it away, watching as the goddess stumbled as she was carried with the throw until she stopped and turned back on him.

"That isn't your granddaughter lying on a hospital bed!" the goddess shouted as attack after attack came. "You've never had children of your own only to watch them die because you can't do anything!" She went for a high kick but he caught her at the shin and held on yet she didn't stop as she hopped and kicked with the other leg getting him to let go. "To just sit there, useless, hearing their prayers and cries. To close your own heart and stay away because you know you'll lose them some day!"

She jumped, her fists raised together as they crackled with power, before coming down. He jumped back as she impacted the ground, charring the grass and imploding the ground beneath it in a small explosion. He watched her get up, panting as bits of dirt fell around her. The shimmer of power around her was getting noticeably weaker, her frame starting to shake from the strain but she still kept coming.

She gave a sloppy charge, her right fist coated in the golden energy and static as she roared with her punch. He caught it at the wrist, the crackling fist inches away from his face but he wasn't looking at it. No, his gaze was on Athena's face as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. The goddess that had always seemed so strong yet cold when he had been a mere mortal. The face of seeming indifference and disciplined control that had once intimidated and humbled him.

And he couldn't see a trace of it now.

It took a few seconds before she started to pull at her wrist but he wasn't letting go. Realizing she was stuck, she screamed as she punched with her free hand and he did nothing to block or dodge. His face tilted away as the sting of her fist meeting his cheek made itself known but he didn't complain. She punched again and he took it to the jaw even as his gaze never left hers before he released her other hand. She barely paused at the sudden release but continued nonetheless, her angry tears flowing as even her eyes started to lose the heated glow to leave dull grey behind.

With each blow she got sloppier, the time between punches growing as her breathing got harder. He could see the tremble of her legs as she pushed herself, past the exhaustion and running off raw emotion. A final punch came that landed against his chest with a dull thud, the goddess swaying slightly as her arms dropped to her sides. She stumbled his way and was about to fall until he gently caught her shoulder, her head landing against his chest as he looked down at her.

"Why?"

Her voice was soft and warbled as her shoulders started to tremble, her left hand coming up to grab at his shirt as she lifted her head enough for him to see her face. Her dull grey eyes met his as the tears continued.

"… Please," she pleaded as she tugged at his shirt. "You brought me here because you thought I could change, right? That I could let go of my pride and do something with myself? Well I'm here, begging you," she said as her legs started to give out but Percy held her before she could fall as he slowly dropped to one knee, his gaze never leaving hers as she started to sob, her head resting against his chest.

"I … I don't want to lose any more of them. Cloelia, my children, they're all I have left… I can't just stay away and let them die. Not like before. "

He looked as the tears came, listening to the crying goddess as her shoulders quaked with every shuddering breathe and chocked sob. He felt his mouth drying as his left arm moved to holding Athena along her back, slowing rubbing circles to try and soothe her if at all possible.

"Percy," she said through a hiccup, her eyes nailed to his, "Save her and I'll do anything you want…"

He looked sharply at her, barely hiding his own shock as he searched her eyes. Even as the tears came and her body shook, her eyes were steady and determined. He didn't doubt for a second that she meant every word and that shook him. His right hand clenched as he swallowed softly, their gazes locked.

She opened her mouth to say more but whatever it might have been was lost as Percy acted, gently tapping her forehead with his right hand. A minor sleep spell with a barely visible distortion of air fell over Athena's face before her eyes fell closed and she went limp in his arms, fast asleep. He took a shaky breathe as he looked at the goddess, watching as some of the tension in her frame melted away.

With another deep breath he adjusted the goddess in his arms, one tucked under her legs at the knees and another across her back as he stood up. Her power signature was faint and he knew he needed to get her back to the hospital, otherwise she would continue to lose power and worsen her condition even more.

With but a thought the barrier he'd erected came down and he turned, his gaze meeting three sets of worried eyes. Hestia, Andromeda, and Rhea all walked up to him, their eyes shifting between him and the goddess in his arms. He looked at all three of them, spreading his senses drinking in their presence as he let it soothe the turmoil within.

"You heard all that," he stated, his gaze falling to the goddess in his arms.

Soft 'yes's replied to him as his gaze came back to meet theirs.

"And you know what Cloelia's condition is."

All three nodded, their faces getting grim at the mention of the godling.

"You want to save her," Andromeda said, her voice soft as all three of his wives looked at him.

He nodded, his attention lowered to the goddess in his arms for a moment. He memorized it all. The tear tracks left on her pale cheeks, the way her hands gripped his shirt as she twitched, a sniffle or two escaping her. The way she felt so small and light in his arms, her normally powerful and humming aura depleted to an echoed whisper. And yet this Olympian had been ready to do anything and everything, even putting herself on the line, if it meant saving and protecting the family she had left.

' _No, not just an Olympian. A mother.'_

His face rose as he looked at his wives, his voice firm.

"I am going to save Cloelia."

He met their gazes without an ounce of doubt, knowing down to his core that his choice had already been made the moment he saw how far Athena was willing to go. He wasn't entirely sure what his wives had decided, if at all, but if it was a no, then he was going to go through with it. He couldn't save everyone all the time and he couldn't protect everyone from every little thing no matter how much he wished otherwise.

But he wasn't going to abandon someone that needed him and he _could_ help.

He'd been ready to see some disagreement, whether because he'd made the choice on his own or because they didn't agree with it. Regardless he'd been ready for that and to apologize even if he was still going to go through with it. Instead he got two warm smiles from Rhea and Andromeda but it was Hestia's troubled one that got his attention but then Andromeda spoke.

"Good," she said as she shot Hestia a side glance before turning her attention to him. "We were going to tell you that we wanted to save her as well." He started feeling lighter at knowing that but before he could comment Andromeda continued. "But we need to have a talk about something more." She then looked at the sleeping goddess as she made a tiny whimper and shivered, a bit of a cold sweat starting to show on her forehead. "First we need to get her to the clinic."

"Right," Percy responded before all of them were enveloped in a wave of darkness.

A few seconds passed before they appeared at the same floor as Cloelia's room, spooking some other visitors and nurses in the process. Without delay Percy marched towards the rooms, feeling out to see which room was empty as Andromeda veered off to get the Head Nurse for the floor or doctor if she found one first. He finally got to one, room 13, and stepped in and moved to getting Athena on the bed. As he did he heard Andromeda arrive and already explaining what happened to whoever she got.

With Athena in the bed he stepped back as a brunette doctor moved up to Athena's side, her hand glowing a pale yellow as she set it on the goddess' head. He watched attentively a small pulses raced over Athena's sweating form as the doctor—Dr. Malcolms he just recognized—scanned the goddess.

"Acute Core Exhaustion," Dr. Malcolms murmured after a few seconds as Percy heard two nurses come in, one dragging in an IV and Heart monitor.

Percy stepped farther back next to his wives as they watched the doctor and nurses work as they got Athena settled in and hooked her up. Several minutes passed in relative silence as the doctor then sent one of the nurses off to get some equipment before the doctor turned to Percy.

"Thank you for getting her here so quickly. At the rate she was losing power she could have easily gone into Core Depletion and fallen into a coma until recovered."

"Will she be able to recover?" Percy asked as he glanced at Athena's resting face.

"I believe she'd still tied to The West, correct?" Dr. Malcolms asked getting a nod from him. "Then I'm afraid no. Not unless she's brought back to within the bounds of The West or has those ties severed and gains new, unbounded domains from Lady Phoebe. As she is now we can keep her sustained with diluted nectar and when she wakes up a generous portion of ambrosia will help but she'll be more or less bedridden until something is done about her status," Dr. Malcolms explained as she looked at the goddess.

Nodding at the explanation Percy then turned to Andromeda as she grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the door.

"Come on, she's in good hands now," she said gently and with one last glance back he followed.

Once in the hall with Rhea and Hestia the four came together before Percy felt Rhea use her own limited control of shadow to teleport them away. Percy glanced around as they arrived back in their room in the House of Primordial before Rhea pulled him along to sit beside her with Andy taking his other side as Hestia stood before him. He watched as she pulled at sleeves of her jacket while glancing anywhere but him as Andromeda spoke up.

"Well Percy, we've been talking and agreed to save Cloelia but, there's more to it than just you adopting her," she said as she pointedly looked to Hestia.

However the goddess was looking anywhere but them, nervously biting her lip.

"Hestia." At the call of her name the goddess looked to her sister wife as Rhea gestured to Percy. "Tell him."

Now Percy was feeling confused as he watched his wives shooting each other looks, some eyes narrowing at each other and Hestia looking more worried than anything.

"Okay, what's going on?" he asked as he looked at each one, his own eyes narrowed as he waited for an answer.

Rhea and Andromeda looked to Hestia together as the lady of dragons shuffled for a moment before she finally relented and spoke up, "We did agree to save her … but I was against it at first."

Percy stayed silent as he heard that, looking intently at his wife as she glanced away for a moment. Then she stepped closer to Percy, her eyes getting watery as she leaned down towards him.

"Please …"

Before he could say anything else Hestia touched her forehead against his and he felt the familiar presence of her mind brush against his own. Without hesitation his mental barriers willingly opened to her as their eyes fluttered closed. The world faded out to him as he went through memories, listening to Hestia's words as if he was saying them himself, and felt her emotions.

The night she came to him and learned about Cloelia's condition and then the rest of the night spent with him. Her visit to Paul and their conversation which surprised him at Paul's admissions to how he used to feel, his own heart clenching at listening to her fears and doubts aimed at herself. He was also shocked to realize that he'd overlooked his own commitments with the war and the need for one of his wives to adopt with him however before he could hang up on that the memories continued. Then the memories shifted to another conversation, this time Andy and Rhea being present as the queens talked from within Rhea's office as Hestia opened up to them much as she did with Paul.

He watched as they spoke, at times getting a little heated but was relieved to see things calmed even as he felt Hestia's nervousness grow the closer they got to needing to tell him. After what seemed to be near the end of the memories Hestia decided to share he was pulled back into reality. Taking a steadying breathe he slowly opened his eyes to meet the glowing crimson of his wife even as some tears spilled down her cheeks, her forehead still touched against his.

"Oh Hestia," he said softly, one hand coming up to cup her cheek and thumb away the tears. "How could I ever think less of you?"

Using his free hand he reached out and gently pulled her by the waist, drawing her to sit across his lap. Looking at her intently he then leaned down and kissed her soundly as he pulled her closer, letting his presence flare out and envelop her. She responded in kind as her emotions were carried with it, mixing with his own as he tried his best to reassure her. After nearly a minute he finally pulled back, both their faces with silvery tinges as he left their foreheads connect.

"Why Hestia?" he asked, his gaze searching hers.

"It's just …" the goddess trailed off as she looked down.

Andromeda shuffled closer behind Hestia, hugging her from behind and kissing the back of her head as Percy waited. After taking a deep breath she returned her gaze to him.

"I know she's innocent, I know saving her is the right thing to do, and I do want to help her, but every time I see her," Hestia sniffed a little as she rubbed at her eye. "I see Chase and I just get so angry."

Hestia started to blink away the coming tears as she took a shuddering breathe.

"You already said it yourself. You are going to save her and I accept that … even if I can't agree with it completely. Not yet anyways."

Silence followed as Percy closed his eyes for a moment as he took his own calming breathe. It hurt to hear the pain in Hestia's voice and to know what she was going through after feeling her very emotions. There was barely any anger, if at all, directed at him then such an intense sense of self-loathing for herself. And even with the grudge and its effects on her, even with her own concerns, she still accepted not only his choice but theirs as a whole.

' _What did I do to deserve you?_ ' he thought to himself as his arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to him as he opened his eyes.

"And as things are now, we don't have long before we need to go through with this," Rhea added as she raised her head from Percy's shoulder to look directly at him. "We need to act soon or it will be too late."

"And you can't be the only one to adopt her," Andy continued, "One of us needs to do it with you to take care of Cloelia when you're out on the battlefields."

"Who?" he asked as he glanced from Andy to Rhea.

"Me," Hestia said softly as he snapped his gaze to her, his eyes widening in surprise as she looked back at him. "And I need Athena's help to do it…"

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 **So ... thoughts? I really hope everyone enjoyed this and the next one should come out soon! Let me hear your thoughts, a pleasure, Jbubu**


	46. Flames of Change

**Merry Christmas to all! (Or whatever you celebrate!)**

 **A nice little update for you all because I love you guys! Lots of good feedback and happy greetings from the last chapter. Love it all and especially when I get interesting questions and little talks. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**

 **Jbubu**

* * *

The beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing she heard as she regained consciousness. The smell of disinfectant and the slightest hints of warm vanilla came next. A soft groan escaped her chapped lips as she tried to move but her body was barely responding, almost as if she was caked in lead and too tired to respond. She heard a shuffle off to the side before a hand came up under her head and lifted it up as the edge of a glass was pressed to her mouth.

Without instruction her lips parted as a cool liquid slipped in and she greedily swallowed it, almost humming at the hints of apple taste. She could sense the power in the drink as her body rapidly absorbed it and a sense of relief spread throughout her form. Once the glass was pulled away, she sighed as her head was gently rested back on the pillows.

For a few moments there was only silence as she tested her body, wiggling her toes and clenching her hands before trying to open her eyes. It was slow, but she managed and looked up to see a cream ceiling hidden in shadow meaning the main lights were off. Blinking again as tried lifting her head but stopped as she felt a twinge of pain in her neck and groaned as she let her head fall back.

"I wouldn't try moving too much Athena, you've already stressed out your body as is."

Athena gave a near full-body flinch in surprise before her head snapped to the side, eyes wide. She'd almost forgotten that someone had to be in the room to have given her whatever she drank. However, with the only light coming from somewhere off past the foot of the bed, the side Athena looked to was mostly shrouded in shadow.

That did nothing to hide the familiar, glowing pair of crimson eyes looking right back at her.

"Easy there," Hestia said before Athena could so much as shriek, a pair of fingers pressing to her lips.

With her heart hammering away in her chest the goddess barely made out the silhouette of winged goddess as another switch was clicked turning on a lamp off to Hestia's side as the goddess pulled back her other hand. Now seeing the goddess properly, Athena felt herself calm somewhat as Hestia remained silent, simply looking at her.

The quiet was only disturbed by the heart monitor as the pair looked at each other, the blonde goddess feeling unnerved as those glowing orbs with crimson flames dancing within stared at her, unblinking. After what felt like hours Athena had to look away, her fingers fidgeting under the sheets as she scanned around while trying not to move her head too much. Most of the room was still dark and one glance to the only window on her other side told her it was nighttime. A glance at the wall across from her to find the clock told her it was almost midnight.

After looking around her gaze returned to Hestia and found that the winged goddess hadn't moved at all. She was just watching, her face giving nothing away. Now the silence was getting suffocating, so Athena had to break it.

"How long have you been here?"

Hestia briefly glanced at the clock on the far wall before answering, "Several hours."

Athena blinked slowly as she looked at the primordial, wondering if that was all she was going to say. The silence returned so Athena took that as a yes before she asked another question, "Why?"

"I wanted some alone time to think while I waited for you to wake up, so we could talk," the queen responded.

"About what?" Athena asked as she looked away as she tried to move so that she was sitting up even with her body protesting.

"Cloelia and what we're going to do about her."

At the mention of her granddaughter Athena snapped to attention, her eyes narrowing as she looked at one of the women who had the power to help save or doom the godling. Hestia looked back at her calmly even as Athena felt her fingers twitch, her nerves on end as she dared herself to ask, "… Will he save her?"

Hestia didn't answer, instead moving as she turned her head away to look at the far-off wall, her own eyes unmoving from a certain spot. As she waited Athena let her own senses spread out, tracking her own connections to check on her granddaughter. It took her a minute, but she found Cloelia several rooms down in the direction Hestia was looking and from what she could read, her granddaughter's condition hadn't improved.

Pulling back her senses Athena's face fell before she looked at the primordial goddess, her voice coming out bitter as she asked, "Or is he going to let a child die because he hates her parents?"

Hestia sighed as she closed her eyes and lightly shook her head before returning her gaze to Athena.

"He didn't hate Annabeth," she said and before Athena could throw back a biting retort she continued, "He resented her choices and was disappointed with her, sure, but I don't think hatred was ever on that list."

Athena scuffed as she looked away, unbelieving of the primordial.

"After all, if he'd truly hated her, she would have been killed or alive and wishing she was dead," the goddess continued, her voice rather cold as Athena shot her a heated glare for but a moment before looking away again.

She heard the goddess sigh again.

"Tell me, did you ever teach Chase to Memory Walk?"

At the sudden question Athena begrudgingly looked back at the queen, one eyebrow raised before she answered, "I think you know as well as I that certain laws forbade teaching that …" Athena then paused as she glanced down at her own lap as she thought back to her lessons with her daughter. "… But if by chance she found some old books and guides in my library to learn on her own time, then I don't know."

"Clever way of getting around that bastard's laws," Hestia said with a ghost of a smirk before her lips thinned. "Percy did with Nyx and he made some discoveries."

Now Hestia had Athena's attention, her natural curiosity starting to get the better of her as she looked at the primordial.

Hestia gave her a mirthless smile as her eyes locked with the blonde goddess. "Aphrodite messed with Chase's emotions during the war. Those two getting together wasn't by organic means, at least on your daughter's part," she said as Athena felt a red-hot rage beginning to boil within her, her fists clenching as she pictured the willy and intrusive goddess. "I'd bet she's also the reason your daughter spread for the likes of Apollo too."

"… That utter bitch," Athena hissed, cursing the goddess in her head and wishing she could ring Aphrodite's neck right now.

She didn't even need to think on it long for the idea of Aphrodite having a hand in it making far too much sense.

"Agreed," Hestia quipped before shrugging. "Regardless, what's done is done and we have to live with the consequences," she said before her eyes gained a heated glint. "One of which was Percy regaining hope in her."

Athena looked questioningly at Hestia, unsure of how that mattered but Hestia continued, nonetheless.

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Hestia said with a slight, bitter smile. "Chase's feeling might have been fabricated or at least guided by a meddling goddess, but Percy's were genuine. She became his world and reason for pushing on through all the madness and danger. He dared to hope and dream of a future, something that until a point had been considered impossible for Greek demigods. The one-person Hera couldn't make him forget and when she abandoned him, when she ran away like a coward to hide her shame and lies, it broke him."

Hestia took a deep breath that sounded more like a rumbling growl as steam billowed off her form for a moment. She held it for a few seconds before finally releasing it as a lick of flame escaped her parted lips making Athena flinch at the sudden spike in heat.

"And even then, he couldn't bring himself to hate her. After everything he'd gone through and faced, from the whole Master Bolt debacle to the two wars, he clung on to hope right up until that last award ceremony. And in the end was left alone and heartbroken," she said as she then leaned forward, elbows rested on her knees as she looked at the blonde goddess. "I remember having him in my arms, listening as he let it all out and wondering where he went wrong. He knew it was over and it was coming the moment he discovered what she did, but he'd still hoped she'd at least tell him to his face… And then _that_ council meeting."

The cracking of knuckles drew Athena's gaze down for a moment, her eyes widening as she saw ruby-like scales forming along Hestia's hands and her nails going a deep red. However, she looked to Hestia's face again as the goddess gave a dismissive snort.

"By sheer chance and timing, the council's actions gave him a new focus and something to truly hate. By that point, Chase became nothing more than a resented after-thought. But when he was training with Nyx and discovered what really happened with Chase, one of the cruelest forms of Hope returned to him in two little words," she said, her face cold as she pinned Athena to the spot with her gaze. "What if? What if Aphrodite had never meddled the way she did? What if he and Chase truly had come together, perhaps not right after the Titan War but in the Giant one or soon after? What if they never did and maybe, Percy found someone else? After all, its not like Percy would have been wanting for offers from demigoddesses and goddesses alike."

The way Hestia gave Athena a pointed look made the goddess squirm nervously, a sense of unease churning in her gut but the primordial didn't let the silence persist for long.

"What if, what if, what if… It didn't matter that he accepted that he would never be with her again and he didn't even want to be. It probably wouldn't have made a difference if the Olympians still made the same choice to betray him either way but, regardless that tiny little doubt stuck with him until Chase finally faded," Hestia concluded as she took another breathe and the scales along her knuckles faded away into her skin. "So, no Athena, Percy didn't hate your daughter. No, the one who hated your daughter was me," the primordial added sharply. "As for the likes of Apollo, Percy couldn't care less and once he does save Cloelia, he'll all but take over and rid her of any connection to Apollo."

Athena's eyes widened as she snapped up into a sitting position, completely ignoring the flares of pain in her back and abdomen as she looked at the primordial.

"H-He's going to save her?" she asked softly with barely concealed surprise, a glimmer of hope building within her chest as she looked at the queen.

"I never said he wasn't, you just assumed as much earlier," Hestia replied as she leaned back in her chair as Athena shot her a glare for a moment. "However, it's also what I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" she asked quickly, her eyes locked on Hestia.

"First of all, I don't know if you're aware, but Percy can't save Cloelia on his own, not with how things are now," Hestia replied getting a confused looked from the blonde goddess. Hestia sighed again before continuing, "We're at war and as cold as it sounds, he needs to focus on that…"

And from there Hestia quickly explained to her just what conditions were needed to save Cloelia. Not only Percy but one of his wives or someone closely linked to them needed to adopt as well. However, Hestia then paused for a moment as she looked over Athena before continuing.

"Rhea and Andromeda have similar commitments to Percy making them less than ideal while we're at war. Not to mention that neither would even think about leaving their own toddler, adopted or not, alone given Cloelia's condition. There's a reason none of us has had children yet and in Raven's case, she was born as an adult and capable of defending herself," Hestia added. "But Rhea is just as much a frontline fighter as is Percy and with Pontus and his forces out there, they can't risk dividing themselves physically or having their minds elsewhere. Andromeda is another key fighter but she's also the council's ambassador and networker meaning she just doesn't have the time to look after Cloelia."

"So, if neither Rhea nor Andromeda can do it than that leaves …"

"Me," Hestia said softly. "Or at least, that is the original idea."

Athena gave her a questioning look as Hestia looked at her eyes intently, her next words blindsiding Athena.

"I want you to adopt Cloelia."

Silence reigned for a few moments as the blonde goddess looked at the queen, her surprise palpable as her mouth opened and closed several times until she finally got it to work.

"You what!?" she almost shouted as she looked at the unflinching primordial.

"I want you to adopt Cloelia," Hestia repeated with a near casual tone as Athena took a moment to compose herself.

For a moment she'd wanted to scream 'of course!', knowing that she wanted to and would have already if it had been possible. But that was just it, it wasn't possible with the condition she was in now and she didn't even have some sort of bond to Percy for it. So, taking a deep breath, she then leveled the primordial with an even look before asking, "What's the catch?"

Hestia gave a small sigh before she said, "There is one catch." At Athena's intent look, the primordial continued, "I need you to take a Patron Oath with me."

Again, the goddess was shocked as she looked at the primordial as if she'd grown an extra head, her thoughts derailed as she tried to come up with an answer to that but came up empty. All she could end up asking was, "Why?"

"For one, you are in no condition to use any divine power, let alone perform an adoption," Hestia answered simply before her she leaned forward on her seat. "Secondly, you don't have any bond or link to Percy which would guarantee Essence Rejection in the adoption and kill Cloelia outright."

Athena looked at the primordial as the thought on that. It was true she lacked the strength or the bond to do it but there had to be more. It simply seemed to be convoluted, too dependent on 'if' scenarios and other factors for those to be the only reasons.

"Why not just adopt Cloelia yourself?" Athena asked as she narrowed her gaze on the queen. "Why go through the trouble of getting me to swear myself to you when you could have gone through with the adoption hours ago?"

Hestia met the look, the crimson flames within her eyes simmering as Athena continued.

"Divine Adoption is practically a re-birth whether its for a demigod or a godling and the adopted always take up aspects and appearances of the parents. Even if Cloelia keeps the name Annabeth gave her, that name will probably be the only thing that stays with her once the adoption is complete and she recovers. You said you hated Annabeth, right? Well what better way to spite her memory than taking her only daughter as your own?" Athena said, her voice gaining an edge as she looked at her lap and her fist clenched at the thought.

The adoption might be the only way to save her granddaughter, but it would mean leaving Cloelia without a trace left of Annabeth in her. At least if Percy adopted her alone, thanks to being a goddess Cloelia had chances of retaining features from Annabeth but between two divine beings? Not a chance. It would be as if Annabeth never had a daughter to begin with.

"Why didn't you jump at that chance?" Athena asked as she looked at Hestia.

The primordial stayed quiet for a while as the deities looked at each other before Hestia finally spoke, her tone far softer than before.

"I need time…" At Athena's silence the primordial continued, her earlier mask of aloofness making way for a face of worry and uncertainty. "I've hated your daughter for a long time Athena, and even if I don't hate Cloelia, that doesn't mean I wanted to be close to her … but I won't have that option if I adopt her, will I?" she asked as Athena remained silent. "Cloelia's already been through enough and the last thing she needs is a mother that can't completely accept her, at least, not yet." Hestia paused for a moment as she took a breath, her hands clasping together on her lap before she looked at Athena. "That's why I want you to take the Patron Oath with me and even if you don't, I'll still go through with it and adopt her. But if you do swear the oath and adopt her, it means the bond you form with her will extend to me, but you can be the mother she needs."

Athena looked at the goddess, thinking over everything she'd been told and what it would mean for her. In a way she felt a weight leaving her shoulders as she knew now that Cloelia would be saved. And yet, the question of how was now at the front of her mind. Did she stand aside and leave it to Hestia and Percy or swear herself to Hestia and do it herself.

"Is the Patron Oath the same as Medusa swore to Percy?" Athena asked, her usual need to gain knowledge and every angle before deciding anything coming up now that she was calmer.

"No, there are similarities but what Medusa swore is the Oath of Absolute Patronage," Hestia answered after a moment. "Medusa, along with Lamia and Lupa are permanently bonded to Percy of their own free will and choice. Even if someday they are given domains and become full goddesses, they'll still be linked to him. They are his _Shadows_ , the enforcers of his Will and part of him to the point they can't die or fade unless Percy dies first," she explained as Athena's eyes widened, never having thought Medusa's oath carried so much to it. "The Patron Oath I want from you is what Raven took with her mother. The oath isn't permanent and will bond us while also severing your ties to The West, but it will also let you draw on my power instead. And once this war is done with, you can separate and take up new domains with Phoebe if you want."

Once Hestia finished both goddesses remained silent. Hestia leaned back in her chair and looked on as Athena turned her gaze down, unsure of what to do. To take the oath would be to commit, to step across the line and officially take a side in a war she wanted no part in. Pallas Athena, the Olympian goddess, would cease to be and she would become what? Even if she denied the oath and stepped back, Cloelia would be saved.

A small whisper of a thought came to Athena, her own paranoia tempered from millennia of Olympian life raising its head as she glanced at the primordial. Hestia had all the cards in her hand, or at least, did until she admitted to Percy's decision regarding Cloelia. She could have made Athena beg just like she did with Percy, she could have made the goddess grovel and submit as she signed herself away in the chance to save her granddaughter.

And yet instead she gave Athena the power to choose. There was no threat hanging over her head, no warning of making the wrong choice and a punishment to follow suite. Just the offer and what she would do with it. The sound of shuffling got the goddess' attention as she looked at Hestia as the primordial got up from her chair.

"You don't need to answer right now," Hestia said as she took a few steps towards the door. "I'll give you some time to think on it."

She continued to walk as Athena watched her, her fingers tangling with the sheets at her sides as she opened and closed them. Then, when Hestia's hand reached for the door handle…

"Wait!"

Hestia stopped, slowly looking back at her even as her hands staid poised to open the door. Athena felt like her heart was stampeding within her chest as she looked into those burning rubies.

"I…"

She swallowed nervously as she tried to meet the look. She was done sitting and waiting on the sidelines. Watching as others bore the brunt because she didn't feel forced to commit to it.

There was no going back after this…

"… I'll make the oath."

* * *

 **With Percy**

The dark god let out an exhale, a cool mist escaping him as he looked out across the expanse of forest and wilderness shrouded in shadow from his position atop the Primera Gate. He could see the Olympian camp from there, make out the bodies as they moved like agitated bees, unable to rest or even stay still. All it took was for him to tap into Hestia's domains of Hope and Unity to feel the unraveling of the demigods.

He was a little curious though as he felt them gathering closer to the western side of the camp, where Hephaestus' Smiths were if he remembered correctly. He shrugged it off though, knowing that if were anything big with plans, they'd have their own sources on it soon enough.

His eyes then shifted to the eastern edge of the clearing being used by the Olympians, seeing the last embers fading out of the funeral pyres that had been lit a few hours before. Over a hundred demigod lives ended in one night. He shook his at the thought, taking some solace in knowing most of those departed souls now rested in Elysium or were on their way to rebirth.

He then turned around and brought his attention to the far-off barrack built close to the Segunda Gate, now being used as a temporary camp and housing for the captured demigods. Most were rather young and inexperienced, the ones had little motive to fight in this war other than that they were expected and ordered to. He let his senses expand into the surrounding night as he felt out the camp and noted most were asleep besides the nymphs, gods, and volunteer mortals watching over them.

He was relieved most managed to fall asleep on their own rather than need sleeping medicine and sleep spells cast on them like the first night. However, he was brought out of his observations when he felt a mental probe from Rhea, his mental guarding immediately opening as he heard his wife's voice in his head.

' _Percy, come quick to the temple!'_

' _Rhea, what's wrong?'_ he asked back as he already mentally projected the temple and stepped into the darkness.

A second or two passed before he stepped out of the darkness and into the hall leading to the council chamber, the shadows dancing to the flickering lights of the torches along the walls.

' _You need to see this,'_ was her answer as he moved down the hall and grew with every step until he reached his natural hundred-foot stature. He walked into the hall to see about half of the council sitting around in their thrones, their eyes nailed to the center of the room. The central hearth was simmering lowly and above it floated several large screens, all showing various news channels or streams from around the world.

He moved around the hearth to his throne and noticed for the first time that Zoe was present as well, standing on the right arm of Rhea's throne and closest to his. The moment he sat down Zoe hopped to his left palm and tapped away at her tablet. All the floating screens shifted to the same stream she was playing as his eyes turned to them to read the headline ' **IMAGES AND VIDEO LEAKS! BATTLE ON THE MOON!?'** and listened in.

 _"—and even as new videos are shared via every social platform or news sites, the investigation to how these leaks happened is still underway—"_ the news anchor was saying before he was cut off by another commentator.

" _Who cares how it happened! What we should really be worried about is WHAT are these things!?"_ he shouted as he pointed to the larger screen behind them as it began to play clips.

Percy watched as satellite images of the moon appeared before closing in on the surface, two distinct figures appearing in them. His eyes narrowed as the image became clear enough to make out his general form but not much more. Whatever was taking the recording then shifted over and the silvery figure was easy to place as Artemis even with the static of the image. More clips played as blurs of him and Artemis passed through the sight, at times needing to zoom out by significant margins to even keep they're blurry movements within view.

It was smudged up and clearly the release of so much divine power was interfering with imaging that could have normally taken perfect pictures of the lunar surface. The clips changed in angles and clarity meaning multiple satellites were in range for the recordings, but all suffered some form of distortion or interference, one clip being barely a few seconds as it caught a collision between him and Artemis before the pressure hit the satellite and likely destroyed it.

" _Just what in the Lord's name is that?"_ one of the anchors asked softly, her voice quaking as one far off satellite captured the moment he released his manifestation of power and assumed a pseudo-divine form.

The sight of the dark miasma billowing around him as the very moon and satellite alike shook, the shadows writhing as even the vacuum of space became colder to the point frost grew along the edges of the recording. Then, one remarkably clear image of a dark, winged being and two glowing icy eyes.

The next clips played on silently, showing blurs and collisions before one massive explosion that shook the satellites and caused several to stop recording. Then the last one recording as the moon went dark and finally lost track of where he was.

All five anchors and commentators in the panel fell silent as the clips stopped on that image, many going deathly pale as they stared at it. The same commentator that spoke earlier was clutching onto her prominently displayed cross necklace, her lips moving in silent prayer.

After a few seconds one commentator cleared his throat and looked directly to the camera as the clip behind him changed to the logo of the network.

" _As of yet no official statements as to what this was or what is to be done about it. However, in the last 24 hours the streets have begun to fill with the masses as panic sweeps the na—"_

The stream cut off from there to other news sights from around the world. Reports of riots and mass hysteria as people look for answers, the fear of the unknown growing by the second. Even now Percy could feel the cacophony of whispers and prayers being made at the very edge of his mind, asking for guidance and strength or forgiveness and repentance.

He glanced around the council chamber to see how his fellow council members were taking it and asked, "How's everyone doing?"

Rhea looked worried as she glanced from screen to screen, her fingers drumming on her armrests as she slightly chewed at her bottom lip before she turned to him and said, "I don't feel much going on with my domains, but I'm worried about the mortals. That panic can become so much more if we don't do something soon."

He nodded at that, knowing that even now Andromeda was not on the mountain, so he guessed she was meeting with the mortal governments of Canada or the UK to run some damage control.

From her seat farther down, Styx was massaging her temples, at times only opening one eye to glance at the screens before muttering, "So many promises being made, and others broken."

"Are they binding?" Percy asked, wondering how the mortals would react to the consequences of breaking oaths now that Styx was a primordial force attached to that concept. After all, the penalties could be quite … severe.

"No, they're not binding," Styx replied with a shake of her head. "Aside from the demigods and the remnant believers of the ancient Greco-Roman religions, few know about swearing on my name. At most the act of making a sworn promise gained weight when I ascended but actual penalties and punishments can't apply."

"I see," he murmured as he looked to Nico, the primordial narrowing his eyes on the screens showing some areas around the world where riots are happening.

The clip of someone painting ' **JUDGEMENT IS NEAR** ' on a wall in dark red paint was particularly noticeable. He grimaced at that image before looking at Jason, the primordial constantly shifting his gaze. Another look of the room showed that Phoebe wasn't present, so he assumed she was in her office trying to manage the Strings of Fate and how millions of choices and decisions were being made or changed as the mortals became further aware of the world.

Thalia also wasn't present but he wouldn't put it passed her to be either in the Palace of the Skies or checking up on other deities that weren't living on the mountain. He felt out his bonds to his wives and found Hestia within her office … along with Athena.

His eyes snapped to Rhea to find that she was already looking at him.

"She's going through with it," Rhea said.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized her was holding before slowly nodding.

"So that will be taken care of soon enough and once Andy gets back, we'll plan what to do about the mortals," he said as he leaned back into his chair, watching as more news feeds changed…

* * *

 **With Chiron, New Rome**

"—Yes, Lady Bellona," Chiron returned as the Iris Message faded, his shoulders tense as he got the latest report from the Olympian army.

The murmur of some re-instated legionaries, lares, and the few older demigods that stayed to watch over the city and camp went unacknowledged by the ancient centaur as he slowly walked out of the Senate House and into the quiet streets of New Rome as the night crept on. Barely anyone was walking in the streets, and those who did were rather meek as they hurried to wherever it was, they were heading. His tired brown eyes swiveled from side to side as he moved, glimpsing into small café's and such that did have some occupation, but even then, they were unusually quiet.

He caught sight of the screens within one, his eyes dulling as more of the same news and images or recordings of the lunar battle. Even now he could clearly recall that overwhelming sense of power that flooded over the celestial body, chilling and all-encompassing to the point he couldn't help but shiver. At the time he had wondered what sort of monster could carry such a presence as his gaze had been nailed to the moon, watching as craters and ravines formed before his eyes before it was swallowed by the very darkness surrounding it.

Only to hear from the Olympian Army that is was his former students that undoubtedly caused it.

' _Perseus … just how much have you changed?'_ he asked silently, wondering even now if by chance Percy could hear him at all. He shook his head as he picked up his pace to a canter, moving through the streets and out of the city proper. It took him only a few minutes to cross the Pomerian Line, nodding to a statue of Terminus as he did so, before he stopped on a small hill with his gaze falling to the army barracks beyond.

It too was quiet; the few active demigods and fighters having chosen to remain within the bounds of Terminus. He wondered if Camp Half-blood looked as cold and lifeless now that it was left deserted after the demigods were rushed here. However, his mussing was cut short as he heard the approaching footfalls behind him.

Turning back a worn smile formed onto his face as he looked at another of his students. ' _How much has he grown,'_ Chiron thought as he watched Grover Underwood approach him. The young satyr had grown some in the last decade or so, filling out more both in stature and character. Now nearly 6 foot and maturing, the satyr walked with a confidence that had been rarely seen before, his eyes finding locking with Chiron's without any nervousness. His senate robs billowed in a light breeze along with the leaves of the wreath on his had made of intertwined vines and Juniper leaves.

"Grover," Chiron greeted simply, knowing the satyr preferred to leave his 'Lord of the Wild' title alone when possible.

"Chiron," Grover greeted back much the same way as he stopped beside the centaur and looked out towards the Berkley Hills beyond the army barracks.

There was a moment of silence between them as they looked on together, letting the quiet of the night soothe them after the last meeting in the Senate House.

"So, we got more traitors and deserters," Grover said, his voice hard as he glared at the ground for a moment. "Think any are still left and waiting?"

"… I don't know," Chiron said after a moment.

As much as it pained him to think, he could see how the demigods were losing faith in the Olympians by the day. To hear about the kind of losses already suffered by the army only suited to demoralize them further. To what point could they be pushed before they willingly surrendered in hopes of being spared… And just what would the Olympians do if the demigods turned against them?

"They won't make it if they push forward," Grover said, his gaze shifting to Chiron. "It will be nothing but a bloodbath."

Chiron gave a heavy sigh even as he nodded before saying, "I know." His fists clenched at his sides as he thought of some many of the demigods he trained, some practically be raised within the camps, dying by the dozens as they faced a force simply beyond them. "But they're getting desperate and with the losses they've already taken, they're pride wouldn't handle a blow like being routed."

"Their damned pride," Grover snorted with derision. "And the demigod lives? Well I guess they're a dime a 'dozen for the great Olympians."

"Grover!" Chiron hissed sharply as he looked around while extending his senses for the presence of any possible eavesdroppers.

"We're clear," Grover said while crossing his arms and looking at the centaur.

"Still, you know better than to say things like that," Chiron chided as he looked down at the satyr, yet Grover didn't look repentant. "If a god or worse yet, an Olympian, were to hear you…"

"I know," Grover cut in as he broke the stare and looked instead to the night sky above them before sighing. "It's just, if things keep going like this, demigod loyalty won't be the only issue for the Olympians."

"The Cloven Council," Chiron murmured to which Grover nodded.

"The Senate aren't the only ones getting messages from the army. Plenty of satyrs have been Iris messaging back or using other means to communicate with us," he explained.

"And just what are they hearing?" Chiron asked as looked at the satyr intently.

"That they've found The Wild," he replied, a faraway look entering his eyes as he continued, "The forests around them are saturated with so much life and energy that they can barely stay still. It's so strong they barely have to use any of their own power to use nature magic on scales they've never been able to before." Grover's eyes came back into focus as he centered on Chiron. "Those reports alone are already circling around the council and satyr communities at large along with the other nature spirits and it's creating a major buzz. And that was before they discovered Rhea's the center of it."

Chiron sighed heavily as he heard that, knowing how important the aspects of The Wild and Nature were to such spirits and the satyrs. If push came to shove Chiron could see the Cloven council all too willingly deserting the Olympians in favor of serving Rhea and the Primordial Council at large. That meant several hundred satyrs watching over and helping protect New Rome could up and leave without any warning.

The Wolf House was deserted, the majority of active demigods were in the army leaving reserves and retirees in the city, and many of the warrior-like minor gods had deserted leaving few battle-ready gods in the city. If the satyrs were to leave as well, New Rome would be too weak to repel a concentrated attack. And given what happened to Ogygia, Chiron wanted New Rome's defenses to be a solid as possible.

"Any more reports on monster activity around the borders?" he asked, trying to shift his thoughts away from the council and instead to their security.

"Small bits here and there," Grover replied after a moment. "Nothing big or concentrated. The occasional solo cyclops, some groups of dracaenas, and some telchines too."

Chiron narrowed his eyes as he thought of those monsters, finding it odd to hear about telchines at all. And there was no mention of Hellhounds, one of the most common monsters that tended to prowl around both camps.

"Let me know if anything changes in the patrols," Chiron said definitively.

He'd been dealing with monsters for a very long time and sometimes monster scarcity could be as bad as them being overly frequent. Grover gave a steady look before nodding and then sighing as he turned away.

"Well I better get going … Juniper doesn't like me staying out late with how things have been lately," he said as he glanced back while waving at the centaur. "See you tomorrow Chiron."

"You too, Grover," he called back as he watched the satyr walk away before turning his gaze skyward.

He looked at the black canvas of the night, finding it too calm, too quiet. Even with all the mayhem, both in the mystic side just as much in the mortal, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread building in his gut. There was more to come, he just knew it, and it honestly terrified him to even guess what it might be…

* * *

"Are you ready?"

Grey eyes looked up into those molten rubies, her gaze steady even as her frame trembled for various reasons. They stood together, barely a foot or so apart within Hestia's office, otherwise known as the physical manifestation of her inner world. At any other time, Athena would have been utterly fascinated by the concept and explored to her heart's content within the space but not now.

Right now, she stood naked as the day she was born, her body rigid as she looked at Hestia.

The primordial queen stood with an air of control and dominance as she looked down at the shorter goddess, her wings exposed in all their glory as steam billowed of Hestia's frame. They stood within a marble temple that had no walls, leaving them exposed to the warm breeze that swept through the seemingly endless fields that surrounded the structure. A hearth burned strong and proud behind the blonde goddess, the heat licking at her exposed backside.

"Yes, I am," Athena said in a firm voice even as her body ached from being forced to stand.

Her body was still strained and tired from her actions with Percy and even standing like this was taking a toll on her. However, she could not let herself show weakness, could not falter for this moment as she stood within that crimson gaze.

Hestia took a moment to look at her before nodding slowly and then raising her hand to her mouth. Athena watched curiously as Hestia opened her mouth to reveal prominent fangs before biting her own palm. The primordial didn't flinch as she opened a small wound and the platinum ichor pooled into her palm before she slowly held it forward. Then, with a few sparks a bright red flame burst to life in her palm as the blood floated and mixed with it to form a heart-shaped fireball of red and white.

"I'll be honest Athena, this is going to hurt," the queen said as Athena retuned her focus to Hestia's face. "Medusa and Lamia had years to assimilate and change under the influence of Nyx and then Percy's blessings before they took their oath and absorbed his essence. Both were bedridden for days as their bodies adjusted again to handle being ascended to divine status and becoming his _Shadows_. Even now they still show changes. I'm pretty sure you saw Artemis' memory of facing them and seeing their golden ichor?"

Athena nodded at that, the memory being quite vivid as being the first time she saw the changed former monsters and Percy.

"Well both have platinum ichor now too. As for Lupa, she was practically in a coma for a week after passing out from the pain of taking Percy's oath soon after getting his blessing. At least when Raven took her oath with her mother, she already shared the blood and similar abilities to her parents, so the change was minimal for her," Hestia continued making Athena unconsciously gulp as she gave the flame in Hestia's hand a weary glance. "You aren't undergoing the same oath as Percy's _Shadows_ , so the reaction shouldn't be anywhere near as severe, however, the change is still significant. The new primordial are unique to everything that came before them and anything linked to us changes too. So, a word of advice … don't fight it or you'll make it worse."

Before Athena could give any reply, Hestia pushed her hand formed and pressed the heart of flame into Athena's chest. Athena gasped at the touch of the heat as the flames phased into her skin before she felt a pinch in the core of her essence.

That pinch was all the warning she had.

"AAAAHHHHH!" she started to scream as her legs gave out and she fell forward but Hestia caught her.

Every muscle in her body started to convulse as veins along Athena's body glowed an angry red and steam started to billow of her. She felt as if her core was trying to swell and split even as it was being compressed, the literal flames of power bringing her ichor to a boil throughout her being. Another scream ripped through her throat as she threw her head back, her vision going in and out of focus as Hestia picked her up.

She could hear the sizzling and bubbling, her throat going raw and dry within moments as her body trembled in Hestia's arms. Her pained mind reached for anything to calm itself as she tried to endure the pain, reigning in her own power as it naturally tried to resist and lash back against the foreign essence. She felt a new bond unlike anything she'd ever experienced before forming.

It was strong and unyielding, an immense sense of power beyond Athena's ability to comprehend carried with it as her very being was pressured to submit yet ultimately left to her choice. Even through the pain of the flames within she understood at her core that this presence would only come if she accepts it. It would not come and break her to then take her. She needed to willingly bow her head to it and submit herself to it and everything it held. To embrace it was to embrace humility and accept that there was something above herself.

It went against everything she'd known and been as a goddess, as an Olympian.

The rigid and ever-present pride that defined her before to the point of being her fatal flaw. The pride that was as much her weapon as it had been her shield. That pride that refused to admit fault or show weakness no matter what she'd suffered.

That very same pride that had been broken and left for the empty mask that it was in this very mountain.

She grits her teeth through the pain, tears trailing down her cheeks, as she opened herself to the bond. ' _I'm not that goddess anymore, I refuse to be.'_ Within her own mind she saw a veritable ocean of flames come and envelop her and yet, it didn't hurt more. If anything, the pain was starting to lessen as her being started to accept the embrace.

She then felt herself being set down and managed to open one eye to see Hestia's gaze on her as the goddess was laid within the hearth. Golden flames danced around and, on her body, gently lapping at her skin as the angry red veins in her skin lessoned. The pain slowly became a warm numbness as Athena felt herself relaxing within the flames.

The feel of a warm and gentle hand running through her hair makes her open one eye again to see Hestia smiling softly at her. That smile brought a gentle warmth to the blonde goddess, reminding her of the days when Hestia's smile and kindness were akin to gold within the harsh place that was Olympus.

A similar smile broke onto Athena's face.

"Sleep for now, you need it," Hestia instructed as she retracted her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow…" the queen said as she turned and started walking away.

Athena's one eye stayed upon until she lost sight of the goddess before it slowly closed, the embrace of darkness and sleep encroaching on her tired mind as she rested in a bed of fire…

* * *

 **And there you go! Lots of bits and pieces as I get this story moving along! More to come soon!**

 **A pleasure, Jbubu**


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